The Calling
by ShinobiSpirit
Summary: {SasuSaku: Humor, Mystery, Angst} A story of hope and determination, Team 7 learns things about themselves they never knew existed.
1. Chapter One

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

[ ] - Inner Sakura

__

Italics - Quotes/Flashbacks 

---------------------------------------

"They say that for every waking of every day, there is a calling. It's up to you to decide what that calling is, whether it may be good or bad. Right or wrong.

This calling comes in all different forms and sizes. 

It is the belief that with each decision made, each loss of a loved one, each gain of a friend or new found knowledge, the calling becomes more clear. The more clearer it becomes, the more you understand about your body and soul. And the more you understand those two components, the more you can become stronger.

I want you three to remember these words.."

In the deep depths of the forest, there stands a small, pink-headed girl, just along the shoreline of a forgotten river. The water sparkled like diamonds under the shimmering yellow sun as the girl stood solitary in absolute silence, nature her only partner.

__

'.. Especially you, Sakura..'

Nature's hands brushed against her face as the gentle wind blew by, with it floated her long, vibrant colored strands of hair. She felt at ease here as she recalled a distant memory lingering in her thoughts, her red dress swaying along with the dance of her hair in one fluent motion. It was completely breath-taking.. Sakura had never seen or felt something so beautiful.

Taking a deep breath, the girl lowered down onto her knees and whisked her fingers through the cool flowing water, staring at her reflection. What Kakashi had told them just a few days ago puzzled her to no end. It felt like he was directing the entire thing towards her, and yet, it didn't. Being as smart as she was, she still didn't understand his meaning. Why? Why did he single out her? She was no where near as great as Sasuke or even Naruto.. so why?

Hearing footsteps behind her, Sakura tensed, her hand already wrapped around a kunai in case it was an enemy. As she turned, however, she found that no one was there. Blinking in embarrassment at her jumpiness, she turned back around towards the lake, only to find herself face to face with a masked man with one visible eye and silver hair. It was Kakashi!

"Eh.. Ohayou, Sensei." Sakura muttered, a light tint of red staining her cheeks.

Kakashi smiled at her shyness. "Very good, Sakura. At least I know you're alert even when off duty." He praised, patting her on the head gently as he rose to stand above her. Sakura simply stared up at her sensei, puzzled as to why he was here in the first place.

Kakashi quickly answered her questioning gaze. "I ran into Naruto and Sasuke on my way to a meeting. I was surprised you weren't with them, so we all came looking for you." He explained, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he examined the area. "What're you doing out here all by yourself?"

"I.. uh.." Sakura began nervously, wringing her hands as she looked down at her sensei's feet. "I was just thinking.. about what you said last week."

Kakashi focused his eye on the small girl before him. Sometimes she looked so fragile and innocent, he wasn't sure she was cut out to be a great Shinobi one day. However, he could feel the strong need she had to protect her friends and comrades, as well as to prove herself. In a way, she was somewhat like Naruto.. only, without the loud-mouthed attitude and the dead last test scores.

Smiling, the older man reached out and touched the girl's shoulder, causing her to look up. "There is nothing to think about, Sakura." He said gently. "There is, however, something to do." With that, Kakashi removed his hand from her shoulder and straightened. "Now come on, I'm sure Naruto's driving Sasuke insane by now."

Sakura sat there a moment as his words sunk in, then a determined smile appeared on her face as she stood. "Right." [HELL YEAH!]

Kakashi smiled back and walked beside the pink-headed girl in silence, knowing it wouldn't last much longer as they neared the town.. already, they could hear Naruto's wailing from afar.

-----------------------------

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto chimed as he came running up to her and their sensei. "Where'd you run off to? We were looking EVERYWHERE for you!"

Sakura gave Naruto an irritated look, as he was blocking her view of Sasuke who had just stepped up behind him. "No where, idiot! Now move!" 

"Huh?" Naruto spun around to find Sasuke giving off his usual dirty look and smug expression, except, his eyes were focused on Sakura. Naruto grimaced in displeasure. 'Damn him!'

Sakura stepped forward, lightly shoving Naruto aside, and then putting her hands together in a sort of praying gesture. "Sasuke-kun! Do you wanna go on a date with me?"

"No thanks." Sasuke muttered coldly, his dark eyes glaring into her soft jade ones. The disappointment he found in them, however, made him feel a slight twinge of guilt.

"What about me?!" Naruto said, waving his arms up and down with a big hopeful grin on his face. "I'll go on a date with you, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura smacked Naruto over the head. "No! I wanna go with Sasuke-kun, not you!" [I'LL KILL YOU!]

"Ow!" Naruto whined as his arms came around his head. Kakashi simply shook his head. 'At least he's persistent..' 

"Kakashi."

Blinking, the older man shifted his gaze to look at Sasuke, noting the seriousness of his tone. 

"When will our next mission be?" Sasuke asked, his empty black eyes searching for the answer in his sensei's.

"Well, since it took a while to find Sakura, I suppose we'll just start tomorrow." He said, rubbing his masked chin. "And I'm late for my meeting.." Kakashi muttered to himself as he began to turn, waving to his students as he walked off shoving his hands in his pockets. Sasuke simply stood there a moment, watching his teacher diminish as he got further and further away.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn?" Sasuke cut his eyes at the pink-haired girl who so desired his full attention. 

Sakura blinked, not expecting him to actually look at her. "I.." She began, blushing as she looked at her feet. For some reason she couldn't get the words out. Was she scared of him? No. She had no reason to be scared of him. They were teammates. Comrades. He wouldn't ever hurt her.. would he? 

Sasuke watched smugly as Sakura's expression's changed from embarrassment, to confusion.. to something else he couldn't quite grasp. What was up with her?

"HEY!" Naruto yelled, stepping in between the two, his face up in Sasuke's. "Why don't we fight, huh?! I bet I could whip your ass! Then you'll acknowledge me!"

".. pfft." Sasuke simply stepped back and to the side, expecting to see Sakura standing there, but she was gone. Narrowing his eyes, he searched the area. "Naruto."

"WHAT!"

"Did you see Sakura leave?" Sasuke asked, looking at the blonde-headed boy over his shoulder.

"Huh?" Naruto scratched his head. "No.. I didn't. Agh! Why does she keep running off?!"

'.. She hasn't been the same since that discussion we had a week ago. Is that why she keeps running?' Sasuke contemplated to himself, ignoring Naruto's squabbling. 'Hn..'

"HEY! Are you listening to me?!" 

"Let's go." Sasuke muttered, turning towards the street Sakura lived down.

"Nani? HEY! Who died and made YOU the leader?! Sasuke! Wait!!! Didn't you hear me! SASUKE!"

-----------------------------------

Hope you enjoyed it. More to come.

SS


	2. Chapter Two

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

__

Italics - Quote's/Flashbacks

-----------------------------------

The wind blew harshly as the clouds above shifted with the approaching afternoon storm. Sensing the lightning in the sky and the scent of the rain not too far off, Sasuke hurried along the desolate street with Naruto in tow.

'It's getting dark..' Sasuke thought as he slowed to a stop, his eyes narrowed with the utmost concentration so as not to miss anything important to the whereabouts of their missing teammate.

Naruto crossed his arms behind his head and let out a loud yawn as he came up behind Sasuke. "I'm tired.. maybe she went home already." He said as his eyes darted around the area, then up at the gray clouds moving in above. "She's smart enough not to stay out in a storm like this."

Although Naruto was probably right, Sasuke still felt strangely uneasy about the whole thing. He had no idea why, either. Usually he wouldn't have cared. He wasn't sure he did care. It was like his feet were moving on their own accord, and that's something that was surely going to get him killed one day if he wasn't careful.

As Sasuke began to turn in the other direction, light sprinkles of rain began to pitter-patter on the surface of the ground. He knew they couldn't stay outside much longer, as he could see the shock of raw electricity lighting up the sky in a horrific display of the power of nature. They needed to get out of the storm, and fast.

"Naruto." Sasuke muttered as he cut his sharp dark eyes at the blonde boy. "We need to go." He ordered, more than said, shifting his feet as quickly as possible back the way they came.

"Nani?" Naruto looked on at Sasuke in confusion before realizing he was about to be left behind a second time. "Hey! Wait for me!" He shrieked, hearing the sound of thunder and lightning crack against the Earth as he ran after Sasuke with his arms wailing about.

-----------------------------

Sakura sauntered down a narrow path in the woods, kicking her feet along the ground as if she didn't care that possible nearby enemies may hear her. Her need to become stronger was effecting her better judgment, she discovered. It wasn't like she was mad with the thirst for power. She just... well, she had no idea.

Her first plan was to ask Kakashi-sensei for extra training before or after their usual daily missions. But that back-fired, as she was either too ashamed or too stubborn to ask the older man for help.

The second plan was to train on her own. She was the brightest in the village, after all. Certainly she could train herself like Naruto gloated he had done. But.. she ended up causing herself more harm than good. 

And saving the best for last, her third plan was to ask Sasuke-kun to help her train. Somehow, though, she knew he would just tell her to go train by herself. So, that left her with no more options (Other than to swallow what pride she has and ask Kakashi-sensei for his help).

Being so frustrated, Sakura didn't even realize the approaching storm until she felt tiny droplets against her pale cheeks and the slight tapping of water splashing against her forehead protector. It was then that she looked up at the sky, seeing through the tree's the dazzling display of energy dancing across the gray clouds, followed by a down-pour of rain. 

'I need to get home..' She thought as she brought her arms around herself in a protective gesture. It was dangerous to be out during a storm, especially surrounded by tree's. 'This is just great.. I got so caught up in my thoughts that I'm about to get myself killed! If not that, I'll definitely catch a cold out here..' Shaking her head and tightening her arms around herself, she began to run back the way she came, hoping she hadn't strayed too far from the village.

'Mom's gonna kill me..'

---------------------------

Panting and heavily soaked from head to toe, Naruto and Sasuke stood inside a shop that just happened to have a very generous owner, whom provided them with shelter and warm blankets.

"You poor dears.." The old woman said as she came back from a room in the back of the store. "Sit down, sit down.. I'll make you both some hot soup." 

"T-thanks, lady." Naruto said through chattering teeth as he took a seat. He was freezing!

Sasuke didn't seem so effected by the weather, rather, his thoughts were elsewhere as he sat on a small stool in the far corner. His black, silky bangs were matted to his forehead protector from the rain, causing droplets of water to run down his face even after drying off.

'This storm..' He thought, his hands clasped together in front of his face. '.. it came out of no where.. like it was timed.' His dark eyes shifted to his comrade laid back in a comfy office chair by the heater. 'But if it were purposely timed, why would they be going after Sakura?'

__

'.. Especially you, Sakura...'

'Kakashi.' The older man's last words rang through Sasuke's head as he recalled that day. 'He knows something we don't.. but what?'

"Young man?"

"..." Sasuke looked up to find a bowl of steaming hot soup held right up to his face. Parting his hands, he grasped the bowl carefully by the upper edges and stared into it's contents, after nodding a silent thank you.

"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto hollered from across the room. He had already finished off his first bowl and was awaiting seconds. "Why don't you relax? I'm sure Sakura-chan's fine!"

Sasuke grunted, his eyes still locked onto the reflection in his soup. "What makes you think I'm worried about her."

At this, Naruto was thoroughly confused. Sometimes he just didn't understand Sasuke, and other times, he didn't care to. He made this one of those times, as his second helping was being delivered to him. "Thanks!" He said with a satisfying grin as he took the bowl and wolfed down it's contents like he hadn't eaten in years. Sasuke was completely disgusted.

'..Idiot.'

-----------------------------

Tired, hungry, cold, and soaking wet, Sakura trudged down the path way as fast as her legs would allow. In all truth, she didn't know if she was going the right way or not. Her body was so numb she could barely feel anything. It was like she was trapped under a frozen lake, only she wasn't in any danger of suffocating. But she had a feeling she would be if the rain didn't stop soon.

'I can barely see where I'm going..' She thought as her vision began to blur. 'What's that?' 

Beyond the path, there was a clearing with a hill off to the right side. She could just make out a figure standing there as if waiting for her. Slowing to a stop and squinting her eyes, the figure's outline became more clear. 'I recognize that hair style.. and the wrist protectors..'

'.. Sasuke-kun?!'

--------------------------------------

Dramatic Irony. Gott'a love it.

SS


	3. Chapter Three

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

------------------------------------

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura called, holding herself tighter as she began to shiver from the brute coldness brushing against her exposed skin. "Is that you?"

The solitary figure remained silent as it took a step down from the small hill.

"Sasuke-kun?" She called again, her jade green eyes wide with panic and fear. Could he not hear her through the rain?

Another careful step followed by another. Still, the figure said nothing.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled, tears running down her cheeks, mixing with the down-pour of rain. "Answer me! Please!" She pleaded, closing her eyes as she wiped away her tears and excess water.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked up, but the figure was gone. She blinked, her gaze shifting every which way in pursuit of the figure. 'What's going on...?' Suddenly, she felt a vice like grip wrap around her small frame. This caused her to gasp out in both pain and surprise. Was she being attacked?!

'I.. I can't... move..' Sakura writhed and jerked, but to no avail.. she couldn't even reach the pouch on her hip. Her arms were being crushed against her, there was no way she could escape and it was already getting hard to breathe.

'..I... I have to.. find a way.. Sasuke-kun..'

------------------------------

Sasuke startled awake, finding himself on a bed in a small room. He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position and wiped away the drops of perspiration gathered at the base of his forehead protector with the back of his arm. Hearing a noise from beside him, he cut his eyes to the right.

Naruto was sprawled out on a neighboring bed, snoring away with his mouth wide open. Sasuke put on his famous poker face, obviously annoyed with his comrade. 'Idiot..'

Turning his head away from Naruto, his thoughts wandered elsewhere as he stared outside at the ferocious storm. Was that what woke him suddenly? Or was it Naruto's snoring? He couldn't tell, but whatever it was, it made him feel completely uneasy. It was like that feeling that shoots up your spine just before you're about to be hit with an attack. His senses were flowing.. what was it? Was someone out there?

".. Sakura-chan... hehehe.. all mine..."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, turning his head to look at Naruto over his shoulder. He had no idea that the blonde boy talked in his sleep, but he wasn't the least bit surprised. It was then, however, that he felt a jolt run through his body.

"Sakura.." He muttered, his attention now focused on the window again. Dark eyes glared into the reflection as he stared himself down, questioning his reasons for continuously thinking of his teammate. She was proving to be even more annoying when she wasn't with him than when she was, and this irked him to no end. Was he really becoming so attached to these two?

'Shut up.' He told himself, closing his eyes and shifting to lay on his back. He crossed his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, listening to the rain beat against the roof above. 'I don't have time to play hero.' He thought, his eyes open and transfixed angrily on the ceiling as if it were her.

He wasn't going to budge, no matter what thoughts went through his head.

-------------------------------------

"Ah-h.." Sakura felt like she was suffocating, the restraints only got tighter, and she only got weaker. The rain wasn't letting up at all, either. She couldn't see anything and she was starting to get light headed. Was she going to die? 'No! I can't die! I have to get out of this!'

A thought ran past her, and she began to relax in the grip of her enemy. If she kept struggling, her attacker would only kill her faster. It was like quick sand. Maybe if she stopped struggling, she could buy enough time to find an opening and escape. Theoretically, of course.

"Sakura.."

'Huh?' Sakura's eyes shot open at the sound of her name. Who was it? How did they know who she was? And why were they attacking her? As all these thoughts ran through her head, she felt something press up against her shoulder blade. Weakly, she turned her head, looking to see what it was. And she was met with something she didn't quite expect. 

'Black hair..' She thought, but before she jumped to conclusions, she attempted a quick breath and turned her attention forward, looking down at what was constraining her. It was his arms! The same wrist protectors she was so accustomed to! "S.. Sasuke-kun?" 

He grunted against her back in response, his hold on her loosening somewhat, but not enough for her to escape. This worried her. Was he hurt? Or did he accidentally mistake her as an enemy due to the rain?

"Sasuke-kun.. are you alright?" Sakura asked quietly, looking at him over her shoulder.

'Hm..' A smirk crossed his lips as he lifted his head, bringing them face to face. Watching the stream of red slip along the contours of her cheeks only made his smirk deepen, his dark eyes staring daringly into her soft jade ones. 'What will you do, Sakura?'

Sakura blinked heavily, hardly believing this was even happening. Perhaps the rain was playing tricks on her.. it wasn't unheard of, she was sure. 'Come on, Sakura.. this is a trap! There's no way Sasuke-kun would be holding you like this, much less about to kiss you! Wake up!' Her eyes widened and she felt a surge of pain run through her chest as she turned her head away, looking at the ground. It was the sad truth, but the truth none the less.

Suddenly, laughter erupted from behind her, and Sakura could feel Sasuke's arms loosen into a small hug.

"Huh?" She looked up, not quite understanding what was going on. 

'Sasuke-kun.. is.. laughing?'

-------------------------------

Confuzzlement. My new favorite word.

SS


	4. Chapter Four

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

[ ] - Inner Sakura

-------------------------------

Naruto yawned broadly and stretched his arms out above his head as he sat up. Smacking his jaws, he looked around the room to get his bearings before his sleepy gaze rested on his partner. 

Sasuke was leaning his back up against the window frame, his eyes focused intently on the environment outside with his arms crossed over his chest. To Naruto, he looked more rigid than usual.

"Hey Sasuke! What's up with y--"

"It stopped."

Naruto blinked and scratched the back of his head. "What stopped?"

"The storm."

Tilting his head, Naruto looked at his partner quizzically. "So?"

Sasuke pushed himself from the window and onto his feet, dark eyes focused on the blonde boy's as he began to walk past him towards the door. "I'm going."

"Wah?" Naruto tilted his head. "Heeey! Why don't we ask the old lady for some more food before we go!"

Sasuke stopped in the doorway, his head bowed with dark eyes examining the floor. He was about to say something, but he thought better of it and simply walked out, closing the door behind him. 

--------------------------------

Sakura stood frozen in place as she listened to Sasuke laugh. Had she ever heard him laugh before? Trying to recall a memory of such, she noticed that the rain had stopped and the sky was no longer pitch black.

"Sakura."

"Huh?" Sakura turned around to face Sasuke as he released her from his arms. Silently, she wished he hadn't let go, though. [DAMNIT!]

He smirked at her. "Close your eyes."

Sakura blinked. 'Close my eyes?' Looking a bit nervous, she closed her eyes, wringing her hands together behind her. 'What was he going to do?' As she thought that, she felt a warm breath against her cheek, causing her to tense up. 'Sasuke-kun..'

"Okay. Open them."

Slowly, she opened her eyes..

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

-------------------------------

"HEY!" Naruto yelled as he came stumbling out of the shop, slowing down to catch his balance. "Why don't you stop trying to be so cool and face me!"

Sasuke pretended not to hear him, sauntering down the street without looking back. Too much time had been wasted already, Sasuke knew. He should have been training, not chasing after a pink-headed loud mouth and keeping an equally annoying blonde runt company.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

"What was that?!" Naruto shrieked, his feet sliding into a stance with his fists raised in defense. Sasuke's head shot up as he slowed to a stop, eyes narrowed in the direction he assumed the sound came from.

'A scream..' He thought, clenching his fists at his sides. 'Sakura!'

Naruto watched his teammate in confusion. "Sasuke!" He yelled, his anger rising. "What are we waiting for?!"

A smirk slipped past Sasuke's lips as he turned to look at Naruto over his shoulder. "You." He tilted his head mockingly to the side. "Scaredy cat."

"WAH!!! I'll show you!" Naruto grinned triumphantly at his rival. "You just watch! I'll save Sakura-chan all by myself!"

Sasuke nodded, and together the two boys took off towards the forest, flying through the tree's as if they were all aflame.

-------------------------------

Sakura screamed and fell back into a sitting position, her face turning completely red. She had never been so humiliated in her entire life! "Kakashi-sensei!!!!!" [DIRTY OLD MAN!]

Kakashi chuckled and held a hand out to help her up. "Hehe."

She glared at his hand and crossed her arms over her chest, turning her head to the side cockily. He was actually LAUGHING at her! How dare he! "HMPH!"

Smiling, Kakashi crouched down in front of her and patted her on the head. "Well done, Sakura." He said, bringing up the other hand with his index finger extended. "You didn't allow your emotions to get in the way. You're improving a lot faster than I anticipated."

Sakura blinked, looking at her sensei blankly. "So, this was a test?"

"Mn." He nodded. "And you passed."

Sakura's eyes brightened as she smiled, laughing a little herself. She was so happy she felt like crying. Although, she made a promise right then and there that no matter what, she wouldn't cry anymore. 'Not even for Sasuke-kun.' [HELL YEAH!]

"SAKURA-CHAN!!!!" 

Kakashi suddenly disappeared in a tuft of smoke right in front of Sakura's eyes, causing her to blink. "Huh? Naruto?"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called, dropping from a tree nearby and running up to her. Close up he could see a few minor scrapes, and her clothing was ragged, but she looked okay. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Sakura smiled at Naruto. "I'm fine."

Naruto looked at her oddly. 'She's.. smiling at me? WOOHOO!' He got so caught up in the moment, he lunged at Sakura and brought his arms around her in a hug. 

"Hey! Naruto!" 

"Hehehehe!"

From afar, a lone figure stood leant up against a tree with their arms crossed and one knee bent. Sasuke bowed his head as a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. Perhaps today wasn't such a waste after all.

"AGH! NARUTO!!!!!!!"

"Ow! Sakura-chan! But!"

.. Or, he could be wrong. 'Geeze..'

-----------------------------------

Warm stuff. Hah.

SS


	5. Chapter Five

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

__

Italics - Flashback

------------------------------

It was early in the morning as the sun began to rise above the Hidden Leaf Village. Team 7 was gathered at their usual meeting place, scattered in different spots among the bridge in a sleepy stupor. Of course, their sensei was late as always.

Naruto let out a tired yawn as he plopped down onto the ground with his legs sprawled out. "I'd like to know what he does for three hours.."

"I wouldn't." Sakura said with a yawn, shuddering at the thoughts running through her innocent mind.

Sasuke didn't say anything, but he had a few bad thoughts of his own. 'Pfft..'

"Ohayou, minna." Kakashi said from his perch on the arch, waving at his students with a friendly smile. "Sorry I'm late."

"Save the excuses, sensei!" Naruto yelled, now up on his feet and pointing a finger at the older man angrily. Of course, by the time he realized he was no longer there, he felt a hand press down on his head.

"Save your energy. You'll need it." 

"Oh.. what're we doing today, sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Ah.. as cynical as ever, Sakura." Kakashi smiled at the girl. "We will be taking a hike through those mountains." He said, pointing behind her with his other hand.

Sakura turned to look in the direction of his hand. "Those mountains? Don't they lead to the Mist Country?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, but we aren't going quite that far."

Naruto glowered, as he was now being used as a hand rest. 'Damnit..'

"So where are we going then?" Sakura asked, not understanding his meaning.

"As you know, there's a vast amount of water along the eastern border of Leaf Country which seperates us from Mist Country." He began, rubbing his masked chin thoughtfully. "Instead of heading South to Mist Country, however, we'll be staying East."

"East?" Sakura blinked, realization dawning on her at last. "We're going to the Gatsua Islands?"

"Correct."

"Why the Gatsua?"

Kakashi blinked, turning his attention to the stoic figure standing by the rail of the bridge. Sakura and Naruto followed in suit, waiting for the older man to answer.

"Meet here at sun rise prepared to go on a week-long journey. Make sure you pack plenty of changes of clothing, including something warm, and bring all your necessary weapons." He said, his hand dropping from Naruto's head. 

"That's all you need to know."

----------------------------------

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura, after parting from their sensei, found themselves gathered around the lake which ran underneath the bridge. Their little lecture from Kakashi left them all puzzled as to the meaning behind their future mission. Sakura most of all, knowing the history behind the three islands better than anyone.

"I'm worried.." Sakura muttered, kicking a pebble off into the running water. "Those islands ... they have a terrible history."

Sasuke turned his head, looking at the pink-headed girl sideways. "Give me the details, Sakura."

She nodded, her face masked in seriousness. "The Gatsua Islands were originally called 'The Three Sins'. They used those islands for one purpose, and one purpose only." Sakura paused, gazing off into the water. "And that was to torture those who had committed a sin."

Naruto gulped. "T-torture..?"

"Yes. And although that was nearly 45 years ago, it's said that the islands still harbor dangerous traps and dungeons filled with thousands of dead bodies.." Sakura shifted her gaze to Sasuke, who was listening intently. "That's why.. I can't imagine why Kakashi-sensei would take us there."

"Haha!" Naruto popped up and stood behind Sakura, his fists balled up in a determined stance. "Don't you worry, Sakura-chan! I'll protect you!"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. "Idiot! This is SERIOUS! Did you not listen to what I just said?!"

"Sakura."

"Eh.." She turned her attention back to the raven-haired boy next to her. "Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

His dark eyes pierced hers as he looked at her from under his bangs. "Is that all you know about those islands?"

"No.." She said timidly, thinking back. "I read once that there were reports of suspicious activity after the Islands were renamed. Jounin were sent to investigate, but they never returned."

"And their bodies?"

Sakura's expression darkened. "Never found."

Naruto shuddered, thinking of the creepy islands, his imagination taking him for a spin. "Ahhh! We can't go there!" He ran around in circles, his arms wailing about. "Kakashi-sensei must be trying to get us killed!"

"Tch.." Sasuke turned his head from his two teammates, looking up at the bridge. 'What are you up to now, Kakashi..'

------------------------------

Sakura sighed tiredly as she fell back onto her bed, looking up at the ceiling dazedly. Six hours had passed since the discussion at the bridge, and she didn't feel anymore better about it. Thinking training would help, she found herself a secluded spot in the forest after the team separated, and worked on a few jutsu's. Instead of having the effect she had anticipated, however, she ended up feeling worse.

'What am I going to do.. I can't go to the Gatusa.' She thought, turning over onto her side. 'I'm always lacking behind.. if I go, I could end up getting us all killed.' Closing her eyes, she clutched her pillow tightly. 'Plus..'

__

"Sasuke-kun! Wait!"

"..."

"Um... wait... Shall both of... us do something to work on our teamwork?"

"You're the same as Naruto."

"Huh?"

"Why don't you learn Nin-Jutsu instead of bugging me?" 

"Eh.."

"To tell the truth, you have worse strength than Naruto."

Sakura winced at those words. 'Worse than Naruto..' She couldn't exactly argue with him on that one. No matter the mission, she did the least of all. Opening her eyes, she looked at her pack resting on the floor beside the door.

'I guess.. I'll just not show up tomorrow.'

-----------------------------------

Yawning broadly, Naruto rose from his bed with his usual night cap on, stretching his arms above his head. Today was the day! He couldn't wait to get to the Gatsua! And this time, he wasn't going to lose to Sasuke.

Hurrying out of bed, Naruto slipped into the seat at his dining table and chomped on a piece of toast as fast as he could. When he was done, he hurried into his bathroom to change and brush his teeth, then snatched up his previously packed back-pack and headed out the door with a grin.

"Alright! Time to go on a journey! And beat Sasuke!" He howled, zipping around the corner and down the fenced street that led to the bridge. Once he arrived, he slid to a stop and opened his mouth.

"Ohayou Sakura-ch.. Sakura-chan?" Naruto looked around the bridge, but the pink-headed girl wasn't anywhere to be found. In fact, the only occupant of the bridge was leaning up against the rail, his eyes closed and expression strangely calm. Naruto was outraged.

"Sasuke! Where's Sakura-chan?"

The black-haired boy opened his eyes slightly, cutting them at Naruto. "How should I know, fool?" Truth be told, he hadn't really noticed the girl's absence.

"That's strange." A deep voice called, followed by the shuffling of feet. "Sakura is usually the first one here."

"Hey Hey.. Sensei! Do you know where she is?" 

Kakashi narrowed his eye. 'Just as I expected.. she didn't show up.' He thought as he turned his attention back to the two members of his team. "Naruto.. Sasuke. I have a little job for you two to do before we may begin travel."

------------------------------------

My worst. I apologize for not updating sooner.

SS


	6. Chapter Six

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

[ ] - Inner Sakura

-------------------------

Pink hair tossed in the wind as Haruno Sakura ran down the fenced street leading to the bridge. Waking up this morning, she decided she wasn't going to get any stronger sitting around sulking about it. A triumphant grin took place of her usual frown as she balled her fist up in front of her. 'This time, I'm going to do something!' [HELL YEAH!]

Her feet padded onto the surface of the bridge as she came to a halt in the center. A quick glance around told her they were long gone. This caused a sigh to escape from her lips as she leant up against the railing of the bridge, conveniently in the same spot Sasuke normally occupied.

'I suppose it'd be useless to follow them..' She thought, mentally smacking herself for her behavior in the first place. 'When they get back, I'm sure Kakashi-sensei is going to punish me..' Wincing at that thought, she turned her head to the side. 

'Strange.. no people on the street.' 

---------------------------

"Ahhhhahahaha! Sasuke fell for it!" Naruto howled, laughing hysterically and pointing at his teammate. Kakashi promptly punched him in the back of the head, causing him to flop forward and fall face first into the ground. "Ow! Kakashi-sensei!"

"You're supposed to be quiet, idiot." The older man scolded, planting his foot on Naruto's back. He squirmed under his weight.

'Serves you right, you fool.' Sasuke thought with a satisfying smirk. "Sensei, I'll handle this." He said calmly, eyeing the older man with intense dark eyes.

"Ehrrrrrr!! Sasukeeee!!!!!!!!!"

Kakashi nodded, applying more pressure on Naruto's back to keep him in place. "I'll leave it to you, then." He looked down at the fuming blonde under his foot. 'He'd just make matters worse anyway.' At that thought, Kakashi brought a hand up to his head and sighed, his other reaching into the pouch on his side, pulling out Come Come Paradise. 'Always causing trouble.. geeze.'

----------------------------

Poking her head around the corner, Sakura peered down the empty street cautiously. Though it seemed like a humorous moment, she was thoroughly frightened by the absence of people on the normally busy street. So busy that Sakura often had a hard time getting through the bustling crowds gathered at various shops and such.

'This better not be another prank of Naruto's.' Sakura thought, her eyebrow twitching angrily as she recalled his past stunts. Shaking her head, she slowly stepped out from behind the corner and sauntered down the deserted street, glancing every which way. Something was very, very wrong about this whole situation. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach.

"Sakura."

"Ahhh!" Sakura jumped and spun around, her hands in formation with a kunai drawn and pointed forward. She winced, expecting to be hit. [DAMNIT!]

With the shuffling of feet, Sakura felt a hand wrap around her wrist and force it downward, to the side. Slowly, she opened her eyes, revealing her assailant. "Sasuke-kun?"

The raven-haired boy nodded casually, releasing her wrist and stuffing his hands in his pockets. She blinked, both shocked and surprised that he was even still around. "Didn't you leave with Naruto and Kakashi-sensei?"

"No." He said in his usual monotone, turning his head to the side to gaze at nothing in particular. "He expected you not to show up."

Sakura immediately felt a sinking sensation in her gut as she hung her head. '.. I'm toast.' She laughed to hide her embarrassment. "Did he?"

Sasuke gave her a look out of the corner of his eye. 'What's wrong with her..'

--------------------------------

'Why is he stalling..' Kakashi thought from his perch in a hidden location, watching the two lazily. 'The ladies certainly don't want him for his charm.' He chuckled inwardly, focusing his attention on Come Come Paradise once more.

In the background, Naruto was tied up with his mouth taped shut, squirming and rolling around as if he were on fire. 'Damnit! Why does this always happen to me?!"

---------------------------------

"Shut up." Sasuke muttered, his back now to the pink-headed girl. Sakura stepped back slightly at the harshness of his tone, not expecting him to be so upset with her.

"Sasuke-kun.."

"Did you really think.." He turned his head, looking at Sakura over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. "..That running away would help you get stronger?" He asked, his voice stern and agitated. 

Sakura lowered her arms by her side, jade eyes focused on the ground. "I'm sorry.. I jus--"

"Be quiet." Turning his head forward again, he tilted his chin down and closed his eyes. "You're apart of this team, regardless of those thoughts that run through your head. So why don't you start acting like it?"

"What?" Sakura blinked, her eyes locked onto his back. A river of crimson made it's way along the contour's of her cheeks, and for once she was glad he was turned the other way. "I see.."

Sasuke remained silent, as he was a bit irritated by this whole situation. 'How ridiculous..' He thought, his characteristic poker face having it's debut. He felt completely alienated whenever he had these moments with his female comrade. Like the world goes silent every time they end up alone somewhere.

Watching him quietly, Sakura felt a small smile tugging at her lips, and she took a few steps forward to close the distance between them. Carefully, she slipped her arms around his chest and rested her forehead against his shoulder, giving him a slight hug. 

Sasuke's eyes shot open and he tensed, not really sure what he was supposed to do as he felt his cheeks go red with a burning sensation. "Sakura.."

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

---------------------------------

"Well, everyone.. are we all ready to go now?" Kakashi asked while stuffing his book back into it's usual pouch. They were all gathered around just outside of the Village gates.

"Yeah! Yeah! Let's go!" Naruto yelled and jumped up and down excitedly. 'I won't lose to Sasuke!'

"Why are you so noisy all the time?" Sakura asked, glaring at the small blonde boy. If looks could kill, Naruto would be dead three times over.

"Hahaaa!" Naruto grinned and grabbed Sakura by her arm. "C'mon! Let's go to the Gatsua!"

"Ow! Naruto! Let go of me! HEY!"

"Heheheheeee! Faster!"

"NARUTOOOO!!!!!!" [I'LL KILL YOU, IDIOT!]

"Ouch!"

Sasuke and Kakashi sighed, following the two sluggishly. 'This is going to be a long trip..'

'How annoying..'

---------------------------------------

Not much to say. 

SS


	7. Chapter Seven

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

[ ] - Inner Sakura

-------------------------------

****

Author's Ranting: Just a quick splurge to say 'thank you' to all of those reviewer's I've gathered so far. So, thanks. And, I'm going to try and lengthen these chapters with better details and less angst. I noticed also how rushed my work has become. Sorry.

--------------------------------

There were times when no matter how tired you were, you just couldn't seem to drift off into the unconscious state of 'sleep.' This just had to be one of those times. Sasuke sat with his back casually pressed against the rough exterior of bark blanketed around a tall, looming tree. The night was cool and silent, the chirp of grasshoppers and other animals echoing for miles the only sound he could really hear. Other than Naruto's snoring, that is.

Today had been a long and arduous hike through rugged exteriors and wild forests. Sasuke couldn't recall all the times Naruto had complained about the journey so far, but it had irked him enough to where he made sure he was more focused on other things--such as what to expect when they got to their destination--than his annoying teammate.

Sakura hadn't said much at all for a good while. On occasion she'd note something unimportant, like the names of certain herbs she saw along the paths they took. He couldn't even remember her once saying his name, which was unusual. Perhaps her mind was elsewhere.

Then, there was Kakashi. He didn't say much, either. Who would when you're more focused on a filthy book than the mission at hand. Sasuke had no idea what made it so interesting, and he was bluntly certain he never wanted to find out. Anything that caught that man's attention with such intensity had to be disturbing on so many levels.

Something stirred, causing Sasuke's eyes to open and focus them on the object that had pulled him from his thoughts. It was Sakura. He couldn't see her face, as she was curled up on her side with her back to him--another thing he found unusual--but he could tell she wasn't having a pleasant dream. He could also sense her chakra rising, making him look more closely at her in the dim light of the fire. What was going on?

Ever so quietly, Sasuke stood tall and moved with such skill, not even the sleeping Kakashi could sense his movement. Now crouched above Sakura, he examined her facial expression with intense, shadowed eyes. Her face reminded him of porcelain--like the doll his mother had collected and cherished ever since he could remember--and the contrast of the fire's shadows dancing along her pale cheeks made her look almost breakable, if you were to press hard enough. Had she gotten paler? Or had he not bothered to actually notice her skin tone until now? It was hard to say for sure.

Shoving that aside, his eyes made their way along the slope of her nose, resting on her refined eyebrows. They were furrowed in frustration--or, what looked like frustration to him--as if she had some tedious job to do like cleaning up the classroom by herself in punishment for fooling around during class. He knew, however, that that was completely impossible. Sakura was more dedicated to her studies than she was to him (Little does he know, she probably worked so hard to impress him. Unfortunately, impressions don't work with Sasuke).

Next on his little 'journey of Sakura's face,' Sasuke noticed how her lips were slightly parted, soft alerting sounds emitting with each in and outtake of air. Watching this take place made him feel somewhat awkward. He had never actually been so inclined to examine a girl's lips before, much less Sakura's.

Contrary to her 'big mouth,' as they say, she in fact had a pretty small one. With full reddish, pinkish lips to go along with it. When did he start noticing such things? He suddenly felt the same way he had during the first battle between Zabuza and Kakashi. Jounin's thirst for blood, clashing with such force he felt his life was in another's hands. That was enough to drive him insane within an hour. But this, this was enough to drive him insane in less than 15 minutes.

'Kiss her..' His desires he thought he had slain long ago, told him. Urged him. Kiss her? Sakura? Was his desires so extreme to drive him to kiss his teammate while she was asleep? Perhaps he might want to scratch his past thoughts; 5 minutes. 5 minutes was enough to drive him insane. Insanely indecent.

Thoughts swarmed around in his head. His heart was pounding in his ears, and the heat of his cheeks burned in a reddish glow enhanced by the orange-ish hue of the fire. His face now loomed just above hers. Inch by inch, he slowly, cautiously moved in for his new found target. A target he was surely to regret, but his body no longer was listening to his commands.

Closer. Closer.. Sasuke could feel her warm breath against his gaping mouth, looking as if entranced by a spell that Sakura subconsciously cast upon him. His eyes quivered with unspoken emotion. He was on the threshold of uncharted territory, and going in for the kill.

Cinnamon. That was all he could remember before he suddenly tasted something much more.. plant-like. Rough, like the bark of a tree. Opening his eyes told him why. The sound of laughter told him who.

"You know, Sasuke." Kakashi began, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "Kissing girls while they're asleep isn't exactly the best way to make a move." He raised a gloved hand and tapped a single digit against his chin. "And I never would have expected that you were a tree hugger.. Hehe."

---------------------------

Sakura groaned and turned over onto her back, stretching out her body against the thin cushion of her futon--and what felt like someone's arm. Her sleepy jade eyes fluttered open and she allowed her head to fall to the side. 'Na.. ruto?' She thought, not recalling ever falling asleep next to him. The truth--or what she assumed was the truth--popped up into her semi-awakened mind.

"NARUTO!!!!!! YOU PERVERT!!!!!!"

"H-huh..? Hey! OW! Sakura-chan?! What was that for?!" Naruto whined, wrapping his arms around the gradually growing lumps on his head.

"I never thought you'd sink so low!!!!" [I'LL KILL YOU!!!]

"B-but!"

"YAAAAAAH!" Sakura yelled as her fist came rushing at Naruto's face. A loud 'smack' echoed in the air, followed by a tuft of smoke--Kakashi had caught Sakura's punch in a single hand, with little effort, if any.

"Good morning." The older man said, greeting Sakura with a masked smile. "Now that you're up, let's be on our way. We have much ground to cover before dusk." He said, releasing Sakura's fist from his iron-like grip. "We'll eat breakfast on the way."

Naruto sat there, completely baffled, and having no idea what so ever what the hell was going on. Especially after taking a look at the silent, dark haired boy in the background. Who had either gotten a bad case of sunburn, or was turning red with anger. 'So strange.. maybe I ate some bad berries..'

-------------------------------

Well? Any better? Hope so.

SS


	8. Chapter Eight

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

[ ] - Inner Sakura

--------------------------------

****

Author's Ranting #2: I finally got the time to actually sit and sort through all my reviews, so I'll try to respond to the main ones. I can see that a lot of you are ready for some action between Sasuke and Sakura. As a writer and devoted fan of Naruto, so would I. But I think that's a big, big mistake with some SasuSaku writers out there--they jump head first into the relationship without considering Sasuke's mindset. Which, let's face it, he's not exactly the most romantic guy. His ambition and need to avenge his clan are pretty much his top priorities, so even with his emotions for Sakura, he'd probably do his best to ignore them until after his mission was completed. 

Mostly, I'm aiming for a bond between them in this part of the series. As the summary says, 'Team 7 learns things about themselves they never thought existed.' Sakura's learning to be more confident in herself. Sasuke's learning about his emotions. Naruto.. well, I haven't gotten to him yet (Someone said I give Naruto a hard time. They're right! It's fun! *Evil laugh*). Kakashi? He is apart of Team 7, I guess.. need to think of something for him.

And for those of you who didn't get it, Kakashi used kawarimi no jutsu in the last chapter. I thought it was hilarious, but that's just me. 

Anywho. Thanks very much for all your reviews. Being new to this particular fanfic site, I didn't think I'd get so many so fast.

--------------------------------

It was late at night by the time Team 7 reached their 'resting point,' as Kakashi had put it. Naruto was already fast asleep, sprawled out on his futon next to the fire. Kakashi was elsewhere, doing lord knows what--he hardly ever slept near them. All that left was Sasuke and Sakura, who were sitting facing the fire, staring into it's flames with a lack of anything better to do.

Sakura felt a little uneasy tonight for an unknown reason. It might have had something to do with the fact that her dream's plagued her the night before, but she doubted it. Having Sasuke near made her feel more secure, though. Now looking at the stoic boy, she noticed how intense his eyes were as he stared into the fire. The orange glow's dance of flames reflected off his onyx black orbs--giving him an eerie sort of look-- reminding Sakura of sharingan, in a strange sort of way.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke looked up from the fire, glancing at the girl to his right with a 'What do you want' kind of expression.

"Uh.. well.. Do you want to go look at the stars with me?" She asked sheepishly, blushing a little while she wrung her hands together in her lap.

He observed her silently, thinking her request was silly--stars were stars, there was nothing special about them. Yet, he didn't want her wandering around the foreign forest all by herself, knowing he'd end up having to come save her from something eventually. So, without a word, Sasuke rose to his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets all in one motion, looking at her expectantly.

Sakura blinked at the boy's reaction. 'No way?! Really?' [HELL YEAH! Love prevails!] The pink-headed girl squealed in delight and she hurriedly got up onto her feet. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun!" She said with her hands clasped together in front of her face.

He simply grunted in response and looked off to the side, hiding his blush. To say he was embarrassed would have probably been an understatement, had last night's events not occurred. 

-----------------------------

After wandering aimlessly around the depths of the forest, the two finally came to a spot that wasn't shrouded by the limbs and leaves of the forest's tall tree's. Sakura sat peacefully on a small rock, gazing up at the blanket of stars covering the twilight sky. Sasuke stood beside her, making sure there was enough distance between them to where if he reached out his arm, he wouldn't be able to touch her. He, too, gazed up at the stars, still thinking it rather silly.

Sakura sighed in relaxation, blushing as she reminded herself that she--Haruno Sakura--was actually looking at stars--alone--with Uchiha Sasuke. Ino was never going to believe this! "They're beautiful, aren't they?"

"Mn." Was his only response, having a lack of anything else better to say. Why was he doing this again? He felt like a complete fool.

There was a long period of silence, neither knowing anything to converse about. Which wasn't much of a difference--the only time they actually had a normal conversation was either when they were discussing missions, or when certain things needed to be said.

"Sakura." Sasuke mumbled, looking at the girl out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

He examined her a moment, choosing his words carefully. "It's late." He began, turning his back to her. "We should head back."

Sakura nodded, taking the time to look at the red and white symbol of his clan imprinted on the back of his dark blue shirt. After one final glance at the stars, she stood and followed him back the way they came, hoping he remembered where camp was--she had forgotten long ago.

-----------------------------

As the two stepped foot onto the cleared grounds of their camp site, they noticed right away that a few things were misplaced--and Naruto was gone. Sakura felt a jolt of panic run up her spine. Their things were scattered all over the place. Cups knocked over, sleeping bags ripped and thrown in random directions. The place was a complete disaster.

"W.. What happened?" Sakura asked timidly, looking horrified. "Where's Naruto?"

Sasuke had no answers to her questions. He had no answers to his own. If Naruto were in trouble, certainly Kakashi would have sensed it and come to save him. Was this a test? "Sakura. Don't let your guard down."

"Huh?" 

The boy cautiously approached the area which Naruto had been sleeping, crouching to examine it carefully. In the dim light of the fire he could just make out claw marks dug into the ground. From what he could tell, it was a quick downward thrust from above. There were tiny particles of the futon's fabric sticking out of the ends of the markings, suggesting that Naruto woke up in time to roll to the side and avoid the attack. 

"Sasuke-kun.."

He stood and walked over to gather their things. Something was terribly wrong here, but he couldn't help but feel slightly interested as to the outcome. Moving back over towards his only remaining teammate, he held out her bag to her as he slung his own over his shoulder. "Here."

Sakura took her yellow sack, thanking him solemnly. Sasuke waited until she was situated before he began. "You're familiar with the maps, right?"

"Yes.." As she said this, she reached behind her and pulled out a blue colored scroll. "I've been pin-pointing our routes for Kakashi-sensei." She held the scroll out to him. "Here.."

Sasuke reached out and grasped the scroll, nodding his thanks before turning towards the fire and flinging the scroll open, examining their current location and how far away their destination was. "If we travel for 14 hours instead of 10, we should be able to get there in less than two days." He thought aloud, doing the calculations in his head.

"14 hours?" Sakura's face took on a weary expression. 'I can barely keep up for 10.. 4 more?!' [Damn it!] Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, she stabilized and smiled at her stoic teammate with determination blaring in her jade eyes. "No problem! Let's go, Sasuke-kun!" [I'm going to dieeeee!]

Sasuke looked at her blankly. 'What's wrong with her..'

-----------------------------

I'm out.

SS


	9. Chapter Nine

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

[ ] - Inner Sakura

--------------------------------------

Sweat ran down the smooth exterior of Sakura's wide forehead. It was hot, even when the sun had just barely begun to peak over the horizon, and she was worn out.

They had been traveling for--what she estimated--about 5 hours, with no rest at all. Trying to keep up with Sasuke's fast pace wasn't making things any easier on her, but she knew they needed to get to the bottom of this; Naruto and Kakashi were no where to be found.

Kakashi, knowing how he was, made Sakura more understanding of his absence. But Naruto? Even when he got into a confrontation, he'd at least wait it out for them, wouldn't he? And just what kind of trouble had that blonde-headed idiot gotten himself into this time? She wasn't sure whether to be mad or worried. 'Probably both..' [That idiot is going to PAY!]

Naruto and Kakashi weren't the only ones she was concerned about, though. The raven-haired boy walking a few steps ahead of her hadn't said a single thing to her since they started. Not only that, but she caught him holding his shoulder a few times. She thought that after having the Hokage perform a seal on the curse a month or two ago, it had disappeared. In fact, he hadn't really shown any signs of it bothering him during missions following the ceremony. Could Orochimaru be out there somewhere?

Sakura suddenly got cold feet, rendering her incapable of standing on her wobbling knees, she crumbled to the ground. That horrible memory of failure.. it plagued her more than she let on. Remembering her friends, her teammates, all fighting for her. All defeated, littered around the battle grounds in mangled heaps. What did she do? Nothing. Nothing but watch her friends drop to the ground one by one in front of her very eyes. 

Clutching the soil between her fingers, a wave of pain washed over her, and silent tears escaped from the dams she obviously didn't build strong enough. She hated crying.

Sasuke, after hearing the familiar sound of a body thumping against the Earth, was now looking at the broken girl with blank onyx eyes. He didn't understand her reasons for crying like this, but he did understand what it felt like to cry. Three or four steps closed the distance between them, and he found himself crouching in front of the bawling girl. From his pocket, he pulled out a small, neatly folded white cloth, holding it out to her gingerly. 

"I'm sorry.." He heard her choke out after accepting the handkerchief. 

"Don't worry." He replied, his eyes looking about a third more intense than usual. "We'll find them."

As expected, Sasuke didn't understand why she was crying. Assuming it had something to do with their two missing comrades wasn't exactly wrong either, she noted, but it wasn't the main reason. The real reason. The one that she was constantly trying to run from. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun." She muttered, sniffling a little into the handkerchief. 'It smells like him..'

Sasuke nodded, a small smirk slipping across his thin lips as he straightened, watching her wipe her face off. After a moment, she too stood, smiling a little at her only remaining teammate as they began walking side by side down the dirt path, neither saying another word for quite some time.

----------------------------

"Hey! Hey! Hey!!!!!!" Naruto hollered, kicking his feet and writhing against the pole he was chained to. "Damn it! Let me go!"

"Hahahaha." Laughed a sing-song voice from the shelter which darkness cast upon it. "My my, you truly are the loudest of Konoha village."

Naruto growled at the figure he could just make out in the dim light. He had no idea where he was or what really happened, but he was starting to get worried about his other teammates. "You bastard!!!!! What did you do with my friends?! ANSWER me!"

"Your friends?" The figure asked, obviously amused by the blonde boy's question. "When I found you, you were alone."

"Huh?" Naruto was confused. He was alone? Then where did Sakura and that jerk Sasuke go? 'Maybe they got separated from me! Sakura-chan could be all alone somewhere! Damn it!' He jerked at his restraints harder, not noticing that with each yank of the chains, they gradually got tighter. Suddenly, it was getting harder to breathe. "Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT! Do you have any idea who you're messin' with?!"

"I think the better question would be.." The figure paused, a grin traveling along slender black lips. "Do I care?"

Naruto gritted his teeth. What was he going to do? He couldn't perform a ninjutsu with his hands chained a good ways apart behind his back. Even when he pressed his shoulders back as far as they would go, he could barely touch his fingertips together. 'This is bad.. figures that show offy jerk isn't around when I'm really in trouble! Damn him!'

---------------------------

Meanwhile, Sakura sat with her knees bent on the softness of her sleeping bag. Placing the last two or three stones for the evening fire in a perfect circle, she shifted her legs out from under her and sat Indian style, awaiting Sasuke's return with the firewood and tonight's dinner. She offered to help, but he told her to stay here. Which was a little unnerving, however, she did as she was told.

While waiting her mind strayed to other things. Like, where Naruto and Kakashi-sensei were. If they were okay, or maybe even together. A sigh escaped her lips. Somehow she felt like it was her fault they were gone. Maybe if she hadn't asked to go look at the stars, they'd all still be together. Of course it was rather pointless thinking about that now. There were many ways to look at the outcome of "if's" and "maybe's," but only one conclusion. 

A few more minutes passed. The shuffling of leaves followed by a blue-sandaled foot poking out from the bushes told Sakura it was none other than Sasuke, allowing her to relax a little. 

One of his arms was stuffed full of firewood, the other carrying fish from a string flung over his shoulder. He moved to set the wood down in the circle before sitting down beside Sakura, who was watching his every movement as best she could in the darkness.

Bringing his hands together in formation, Sasuke preformed the seal for fire elements, concentrating his chakra on the dry wood before him. A flash of flames erupted from the circled stones, and then there was light. That's when Sakura noticed that Sasuke was shirtless, revealing his lean, wet muscles in the wake of the night. She blushed and looked away, biting her lip to hold back a girlish giggle.

Sasuke, not noticing the girl's embarrassment at all, began skewering the fish on sticks and positioning them between the stones so that they leaned into the fire to be cooked. After finishing, he sat there in silence, poking at the fire every so often with an extra stick to keep it going.

----------------------

Their meal went quickly, and they were now comfortably settled for the night. Sasuke was leant back against a tree, his shirt now on, with his eyes closed and hands resting in his lap. Sakura was curled up facing Sasuke, watching him intently as she drifted off to sleep.

She hadn't slept so peacefully in a long, long time.

--------------------------

Good night.

SS


	10. Chapter Ten

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

[ ] - Inner Sakura

----------------------------

Early morning set in with the steady serenade of blue birds' song. The sun wasn't quite up yet, leaving Sakura humbly asleep as her stoic comrade rummaged around the camp site for various items. Some of which included his shirt, sandals, and forehead protector that he had discarded during the night; the curse was bothering him again.

Usually he dealt with it by simply sweating the fever out, wearing a thick woolen sweater while he trained. Now, previously proven last night, it was no longer becoming an effective course of action to counter it. He wasn't sure what that meant, or if he should be concerned, so he shrugged it off; if it became a problem, he was more than capable of dealing with it.

After finding all of his articles of clothing, Sasuke crouched down beside the sleeping pink-headed girl, gently shaking her shoulder. In an instant the girl's eyes fluttered open, followed by a groan and a broad yawn.

"Morning, Sasuke-kun.." She said tiredly, rising into a sitting position on her sleeping bag while rubbing at her eyes. 

"Aa.." Sasuke replied, slinging his shirt and forehead protector over his shoulder as he stood. "I'm going for a swim." He said, turning on his heel and disappearing through the parted bushes.

Sakura blinked slowly, her eyes still focused on the area from which he departed. 'Despite the events that have occurred, he's still himself..' She thought, a small smile tugging at her lips. 'I should get breakfast started! I bet Sasuke-kun'll be hungry after his swim!' [Okay!]

-------------------------------

Blue. Deep blue. That's all Sasuke could see under the surface of the cove's natural crystal springs. The cold water was relaxing against his heated flesh, distinguishing the fire embedded in his shoulder. Perhaps the devil within him was more persistent than the Hokage had anticipated, or maybe he himself was seeking it's power--it was hard to say for certain.

Though he hadn't mentioned it to his comrade's, even after the Hokage's sealing of the curse, he still felt it's tantalizing call in the back of his mind. He still had nightmare's of his childhood, and he still was more aware of Orochimaru's presence than anyone; he wondered if he had intentionally done such.

With a quick kick of his feet, Sasuke came shooting up out of the water, crystals of liquid tumbling down his pale skin as his feet touched down softly on a large smooth rock in the center of the cove. A single hand came up to wrestle with his silky wet strands of hair before he lowered to sit Indian style on the slick surface of the rock. His hands instinctively came together in front of his masked face and he closed his eyes, drying out under the warmth of the summer sun in peaceful silence.

--------------------------------------------

Back at camp, Sakura sat on the cushion of her sleeping bag, delicately molding and mending rice balls into the perfect shape. Despite the cause for alarm, she was actually very much calm--maybe even a teensy bit happy--save for the thought of her two missing comrades. She could only imagine what it'd be like right now if Naruto and Kakashi were still with them.

'Naruto would probably be drooling over my shoulder..' Sakura thought, her eyebrow twitching at the familiarity of it. 'And Kakashi-sensei.. he'd be reading his nasty book..' [Dirty old man!!] Being so angered by her thoughts, she hadn't even noticed that she crushed the rice ball in her hand. A sweat drop appeared on her forehead. 'Whoops..'

Hurriedly, Sakura forced the rice ball--as best she could--back into it's original shape. Once finished, she opened her hands and examined it. It was completely amorphous. If she hadn't been the one to make it, she would have thought it disgusting. 'Damnit! Oh well, it's just one.' She thought, tossing that one aside and starting with another. 

Suddenly, the bushes behind her rattled, causing her to startle and nearly drop the rice ball on the ground. Laughing nervously, she turned and smiled with her hands held together behind her back, as if she were a child who had just gotten caught sneaking into the cookie jar.

"Sasuke-kun!" She exclaimed happily. "How was your swi.." Her voice caught in her throat in shock, and she froze, unable to get a single coherent word out. So she opted for the next best thing: Scream.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

----------------------------

Sasuke's eyes shot open, his peaceful serenity shattered with the echo of a feminine voice he knew all too well. 'Sakura..' Quick to his feet, Sasuke hurled himself forward, focusing his chakra at the soles of his feet to give him extra leverage as he landed on the bank of the cove. Once firm on the ground, he shot off like a bat out of hell, dashing in and out of tree's as fast as his legs would go.

There was no way he was going to let the culprit escape without having a taste of the Uchiha name.

------------------------------

"L-Lee-san?!" Sakura stuttered, taking a few steps back from the thick eye-browed boy. "Wha.. What are you doing here?" As she asked this, however, Neji and TenTen emerged from the bushes in the same fashion as he had. Only, Neji's attention was focused off to the side of her. Which was good, because she hated the feeling of him looking right through her.

"Sakura-san!" Lee said happily, giving her a thumbs up and a toothy smile to show off his pearly whites. "I'm glad to see you! Let's go dating, huh?"

Both disgusted and chilled at the same time, Sakura simply stared at him with beady eyes. "No way.."

"Buh.. Sakura-san." Lee's expression dropped into a sad frown, and rivers of tears flowed down his cheeks. Sakura looked at him blankly. 'Ewww!' [They wiggled! They WIGGLED! AHHH!!]

"Lee." Neji muttered, giving his comrade a serious look. "We don't have time for this." He tilted his chin down and grinned. 'Uchiha Sasuke.. is near.'

In an instant, a blurred image of a body slipped within Sakura's line of vision, causing her to rear backward with her arms raised in defense. She was almost certain that something had passed by her, but what? Slowly, Sakura opened her eyes, and a gasp escaped her lips as she realized who it was.

Sasuke stood firmly in front of Sakura, his arms confidently hanging by his sides as he glared at the intruding enemies under his damp bangs. A tuft of dirt and dust circled around his feet, giving him the sense of unbelievable power. "Why are you here?"

Neji stepped forward, his cold, empty stare matching Sasuke's. "I could ask you the same, Uchiha Sasuke." He grinned triumphantly at the man who proved worthy of his enemies list, but sensed something was out of place. "Where's the annoying blonde one?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at that question. 'So, they don't know where he is..' Slowly, he allowed the tension throughout his body to relax a little, no longer seeing them as a threat. "He's missing, so is our sensei."

Neji's eyes widened, suddenly being hit with a realization, not to mention a terrible dread. "Yours is missing, too?"

"Wait.." Sakura said, peeking over Sasuke's shoulder at the three other Genin. "So, both of our sensei's are missing.. but, you guys are still together, and one of our comrade's is missing." She looked thoughtfully at the ground, trying to piece things together. "So that means.."

"Naruto did something foolish." Sasuke finished, obviously irritated with the blonde-headed boy. 'Damnit.. that idiot.'

"Where were you guys headed?" Sakura asked skeptically, positive she knew what their answer would be.

"The Gatsua.." Lee answered, now on the same mind track as his beloved Sakura. TenTen would have sighed had she not been so mesmerized by Sasuke's presence.

Sakura looked at Sasuke tentatively. "Sasuke-kun.. may I see the map?" The black-haired boy nodded, shoving his hand in his pocket and retrieving the item in question, he turned his body toward her and extended it forward.

"Thank you.." She said sincerely, unwrapping the scroll and examining the map carefully. Whatever was going on, she knew that the rumors and history of the Gatsua Islands were more than just legends passed on from elder generations.

Using her vast knowledge, she vowed that she would solve this mystery; for herself, and for her friends.

-----------------------------------

A pleasure, as always.

SS


	11. Chapter Eleven

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

--------------------------------

****

Author's Ranting #3: Hoi Hoi, all. I recently stumbled upon an error in my chapter's list. Somehow 1 and 2 got switched up.. no idea. It's fixed. Thanks for your reviews and such. I'll let you to it. 

-------------------------------

The gang sat encircled around an open flame as night had finally set in. They had spent most of the day discussing the mission and relaying clues that both teams came across on their journey so far. Unfortunately, they were unable to come up with a reasonable conclusion, thus making the situation all the more troublesome.

Sasuke was probably the most irritated at the moment. His apathy towards the others was blatantly obvious, as he spent the majority of the time thinking to himself. The worst part was they may end up meeting the rest of Konoha's genin along the way. 'How annoying..'

Meanwhile, Sakura was having an inner battle of her own. Lee sat directly across from her, shooting her goofy looks that made her cringe in disgust. 'Ew! Ew!!!' [Too thick! Too thick! Ahh!] After a grueling fifteen minutes, Sakura decided she'd just go for a walk to calm her nerves.

----------------------

Slipping away from the others unnoticed had proved to be a bit more challenging than she anticipated, but she managed to escape somehow. It was good, too, for she was in no mood to play hide and seek with Lee.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Sakura slowed to a stop and rested her back against the bark of a tree. Though rather rugged, the surface was quite cool through the fabric of her red dress, causing her to relax a little. For once she was glad to have a little peace and quiet to herself--she couldn't even recall the last time she had felt so at ease.

Of course, the situation they were all in didn't allow much room for such laid back activities. They always had to be on the move, prepared for anything and thinking beyond the normal. That was the life, the purpose of a ninja. And as such, she respected those guidelines of their lifestyle with pride and determination.

"Sakura." A voice called from above, causing an impulse to shoot up Sakura's spine. She stumbled backwards from the tree, her intense jade eyes searching for the source of the voice. "Who's there?"

As if on cue, Sasuke dropped from the shield the foliage of the tree provided. He rose and shoved his hands in his pockets, giving the pink-headed girl a look of both amusement and irritation. "It's dangerous out here." He remarked coolly.

Sakura's mouth was agape. Every time he talked like that, she felt a shiver all over. This time wasn't any different. "Are you worried about me, Sasuke-kun?" She asked hopefully, smiling like a little school girl. He didn't answer her, but she was fine with that; the look he gave her spoke louder than words.

Silence enveloped the both of them as they simply gazed at each other from a distance. Maybe things would never be played out in fairy-tale fashion as Sakura so desired, but somehow, it didn't matter to her anymore. Now it was more of these type of subtle, bonding moments they shared that mattered most to her. 'I wonder if he feels the same way..' 

"We should head back." Sasuke muttered, shattering the blissful silence. As he turned his back to her, however, he didn't miss the disappointment which filled his female comrade's clear green eyes. At the same time, it had little to no effect on him, and he shuffled his feet along the ground in a laid back-type fashion. He didn't have to look behind him to know she was following not far behind.

-----------------------------

When they arrived back at camp, they found the others fast asleep around the descending flames of the fire--with the exception of Neji, who was sitting cross-legged in a meditating-like state.

Sakura quietly stepped over to her bag and tugged out her rolled up sleeping bag, flipping it out onto the ground and unrolling it. After a moment, she sat down and laid back, falling asleep almost instantly. 

Sasuke was left sitting beside his teammate, the sound of her steady breathing pulling him, too, into an unconscious state of sleep.

-------------------------------

Morning was quick to come as the light of the sun pierced through the dense foliage of the tree's. Sakura had gotten up early, tending to breakfast with the help of TenTen, who seemed to be an expert at cooking meals with the absence of proper utensils. 

"Mmmm.." Lee purred in wanton at the delicious aurora filling his nostrils in the crisp morning breeze. "I never knew you could cook so well, Sakura-san!" He commented happily, adorning the pink-headed ninja with admiration. She forced an awkward smile as she poked at the fire a bit, feeling somewhat guilty for taking the credit when it was actually meant for TenTen. Somehow, though, she knew TenTen was probably used to Lee's antics by now. 

After eating breakfast and exchanging last minute instructions, the five genin gathered their gear and set off on the Eastern trail, oblivious to the danger that soon awaited them.

----------------------------------

"This is a bit risky, don't you think?" Kakashi commented, his visible eye focused on the scene playing in the crystal sphere's center. 

The older man behind the crystal ball brought his hand up to the brim of his wide hat, tugging it down over his face. "I understand your concern, Kakashi, but we need to know which one of them it is."

"Mn.." He agreed half heartedly, his hands shoved in his pockets. Usually he wouldn't have minded dumping them off on an island and seeing how long they could manage until he would have to come teach them another lesson in being a ninja, but in this case, it was more than just a mission to test their skills.

Someone's life was hanging in the balance.

--------------------------

Been a while. Sorry.

SS


	12. Chapter Twelve

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

[ ] - Inner Sakura

-------------------------------

"How far are we, Sakura-san?" Lee asked, walking up beside her with a look of anticipation. He was ready for some action and to find his beloved sensei.

"We're coming up on Hisai village." She muttered from behind the map as she walked. "It's about three hours away from the port, and from there we can take a boat to the Gatsua."

"Alright!" Lee shouted enthusiastically, holding a fist up in triumph. 'Then I can fight to protect Sakura-san!'

Sasuke smirked as he shuffled his feet along the dirt path. Not remembering the last time he had actually encountered a worthy adversary was tough for someone who had an ambition to become stronger-- strong enough to kill the man who destroyed his clan, that is.

Now that he thought about it, as an avenger, he had been lacking in his duties as of late. Not training six hours following their daily missions wasn't helping him, either. However, the reason concerning this change in his routine was quite an excuse in his book. The curse, though 'sealed,' still responded to large amounts of chakra, so he had been taking it easy lately. Mostly for his teammates' sake rather than his own; the last thing he needed was Sakura worrying about him.

Sasuke tightened his fist in his pocket, frustrated with the current situation. 'Damn.. I can't fight at 100% without the curse reacting.' He thought angrily, opening one eye to glance at the white-eyed boy walking a few steps ahead of him. Relying on a lone wolf like that didn't sit well with Sasuke at all--especially considering his independent nature. What was he going to do? Risk the curse taking over again, or risk the life of his teammate?

That should have been an easy answer. Why was it difficult to choose the 'right' one? After all, he wanted power. If it's one thing Orochimaru showed him, it's that if you want power, you must make sacrifices. Even if he lost his soul to the devil in the process, his mission in life was clear; he must get stronger. He must defeat Itachi. But was he willing to risk the lives of his teammate's for the sake of his ambition? That was the key question.

"Here!" Sakura hollered happily, slowing to a stop in front of a wooden sign with the symbol of the village imprinted in the weather-worn bark. 'Yes! Now to get cleaned up! Real food! Warm bath!' [HELL YEAH!] 

"Wow.." Lee muttered, stopping beside Sakura to gaze at the village from their perch atop the small hill. The village, though obviously smaller than Konoha, was lit up with thousands of lanterns in multi-colored fashion, resembling that of a festival. Paper dragons draped along the buildings and hung in twisted patterns along poles, and there was a wooden palace mounted on higher elevation in contrast to the actual city. Lee was already plotting a way to convince Sakura to join him on a 'night on the town' kind of thing. 'Yes! For Gai-sensei!'

"Are we just going to stand here?" TenTen asked impatiently, giving Lee a look of annoyance. After traveling so long under the heat of the blood red sun, who could blame her?

"Eh.. well." Sakura began, turning to TenTen and the others while wringing her hands together anxiously. "We don't have our passports.. so, if they catch us.."

"As ninja's, I doubt we'll get caught." Neji remarked snidely, pushing past Sakura and descending down the steep hill that lead into the village. TenTen shrugged and followed in suit, giving Lee a 'you better come too' look before she too disappeared down the hill.

"I'm sorry about him.." Lee muttered, blushing bashfully. "He's a good guy, really.. he just doesn't have many people skills."

"I'm going." Sasuke said quietly, ignoring Lee's statement as he too brushed past Sakura, leaving her to gaze at his retreating back. She frowned.

'Sasuke-kun..'

"Sakura-san?" When she turned to look at him, Lee smiled at her reassuringly. "Come on, let's go too." Forcing a smile, she nodded. "Okay.." [Damn! Damn! DAMN!]

'I wonder what's wrong with Sasuke-kun..'

--------------------------

"Wow! This place is beautiful!" Sakura squealed, glancing in every direction imaginable, taking in all the sites. 'No wonder my parents visited here all the time!' [Damn them! They were holding out on me!]

The streets were bustling with village people, some mingling at stores, others chowing down at local ramen carts. Children also littered the area, chasing each other and playing tag like most kids do. Overall, it seemed like a nice place to live considering it wasn't far from the dreaded islands of legend. Sakura wasn't sure if she wanted to leave right away.

"Hey you guys! Over here!" TenTen called, standing outside a small Inn a few feet away. Lee and Sakura hurried over to her as fast as they could through the enormous rush of people.

Arriving at the Inn, they stepped inside and followed TenTen up the stairs, down a hallway, and to a door which had the numbers "149" imprinted in the wooden exterior. Opening the door, they scurried in to find Neji sitting cross-legged on one of the many futon's and Sasuke leaning heavily against one of the spacious walls, his arms crossed over his chest. Neither of the stoic boys said a word to them.

"We already put in an order for a meal, and the bath is almost ready." TenTen said thoughtfully, gesturing for Sakura to follow her into the bathroom. Lee was left to grace the two boys with his company, who, at this point, were more like decorations than human beings.

------------------------

"Ahhhhhhh.." Sakura sighed blissfully as she slid into the warmth of the fresh spring water. After countless bathes in cold rivers, this was definitely heaven. At least for now, anyway. There were still many things on her mind as she sunk into the water to about chin level, closing her heavy eyes. 'What a day..'

To say the least, Neji was all but considerate, refusing to take breaks anywhere. It made her feel slightly sympathetic for TenTen and Lee, even though she was sure they were used to their leader's demands by now.

'Hm.. I think I'll ask Sasuke-kun if he wants to go out on the town with me.' Sakura thought, grinning smugly at the mental image. "Yeah! I'll do it!"

"Sakura? Are you okay in there?" 

'Whoops..' She blushed in embarrassment. "Uh.. yeah! I'm fine!" Taking a deep breath, she dunked her head under water. 'I need to be more careful about what I say aloud..'

-----------------------------

Dried off, clothed, and settled down for the night, Sakura sat on the futon she claimed and calmly sipped at a steaming hot cup of green tea. Unfortunately, she was far too tired for sight-seeing. Plus, they were on a mission. This was no time for fun activities such as that. 'Maybe when we rescue Naruto, we can come back and stay for a few days..' She thought, smiling behind her cup. [Hell yeah!]

"Good night, Sakura.. san.." Lee muttered tiredly from across the room(She made sure he slept farthest away from her), falling asleep in a matter of seconds.

Sakura yawned. Neji and TenTen were already asleep as well. As for Sasuke, she couldn't tell. He hadn't moved much all night long, so she assumed he must be sleeping too.

"Good night, Sasuke-kun." She muttered silently in the darkness. Laying back and pulling the sheet up over herself, she too fell into a dream-filled sleep, unaware of an intruding presence lingering near.

-------------------------

Midnight. Yeah.

SS


	13. Chapter Thirteen

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

--------------------------------------

The night was calm and cool, a soft breeze brushing against the slick surface of the window's translucent glass. Sasuke stared out through his own reflection, watching the town that didn't seem to understand the meaning of sleep. Then again, he wasn't sure he did either.

Restless nights like these were few but rare; he felt a luring presence that didn't allow his body to ease. Perhaps he was being irrational, seeing as how there were thousands of people still wandering around the sleepless town. It could be anything, and yet nothing, all at the same time. 

That is, however, when he made the mistake of ignoring his own instinct. With seconds to spare, Sasuke slipped out of the way and swooped Sakura up from her futon just before a loud explosion erupted from the very spot he was standing, followed by the shattering of glass. Intoxicating smoke filled the room, rendering Sasuke temporarily blind.

'Damnit..' This wasn't good. Not only could he not see, but he also couldn't tell if the others had managed to escape the blast unharmed. 

"Very clever.." He heard a smooth, deep voice utter cockily through the thickness of the smoke. "I shouldn't have expected any less."

That voice.. he was certain he had heard it before. Who was it? What did they want? Had they been following them the whole time? 'I should have caught this.. damnit.' Sasuke clutched his fist at his side, his grip tightening around the limp girl tucked safely under his arm in both frustration and anger. What was he going to do?

'Think.. come on.' Sasuke exhaled calmly, closing his eyes in concentration. He was at a great disadvantage in this situation, so he decided he'd even the odds a little--when he opened his eyes, sharingan was revealed. 

"Ah.. the famous technique of the Uchiha bloodline." The voice echoed throughout the spacious room. "So you're the one who's going to kill Itachi, huh?" A faint chuckle erupted from the stranger's throat. "Good luck."

Sasuke's jaw tightened; that had definitely hit a nerve or two. Gently, Sasuke turned and lowered to set Sakura down on the ground. "How do you know Itachi?" He asked darkly as he stood, his back now facing the intruder with the utmost confidence.

The stranger raised his eyebrows in amusement. "What makes you so sure I do?" A smirk crossed his lips. "You're a spitting image of him, anyway. It was easy to guess." He took a step forward, the weight of his feet causing the wood beneath him to creak. "In any case, this doesn't concern you."

Sasuke's eyes widened in alarm. "What?"

"Shocking, isn't it?" He laughed again, this time out of pure hysterics. "You're so used to being the one everyone's after. I'm not surprised to see you so shocked."

Sasuke didn't understand. If he wasn't after him, then who was he after? Then it finally hit him; he was after Sakura. What for, though? Why her? He wasn't aware of anything she had done to acquire the attention of someone like this guy. All this time, he thought they were after him. 'I see.. they took Naruto knowing Sakura hated him, so the only way she'd come to his rescue is if I urged her to do so. I was just used to get to her! Damn!' His fists clenched at his sides. 'I should have never convinced her to come.'

"I'm assuming that from your expression, you've figured it out." The stranger took another heavy step forward, purposely edging the raven-haired boy on. "Why don't you be a good boy and hand her over?" Now that the fog had settled, Sasuke could see the stranger's face as he smiled. "She's worthless to you anyway."

"Why.." Sasuke began, his eyes fierce with deep hatred for the stranger. "Why are you after her?" However, instead of getting the answer he wanted, he felt a strong presence behind him, and he knew it wasn't Sakura--it was the stranger. 'What?! He's fast!' Sasuke thought, his body frozen in sheer shock. 'Damnit! Move! Move!'

Cold laughter filled Sasuke's ears, sending a shiver down his spine. "Don't worry.. we'll take good care of her." With that, the strangers voice echoed through the room as he vanished in a cloud of smoke, taking Sakura with him.

"Farewell.. Uchiha Sasuke."

---------------------------------

"Hurry! Up here!"

"There!"

"Good, he's still breathing!"

"Sasuke? Can you hear me?"

Sasuke's eyes slowly opened, his vision slightly blurred. Where was he? What happened? All these questions buzzed around in his head as he sat up, feeling the support of someone's arm around his shoulders. His vision now clear, he turned his head to look at TenTen.

"Oh, good.. you're okay." She sighed in relief. Lee came up behind her and crouched in front of Sasuke, his expression both sincere and serious at the same time. "Sasuke.. where's Sakura-san?"

Sasuke turned his head away, not certain how he should answer that question. How could he? It was like admitting he allowed his last remaining teammate to be taken hostage. Which, in a way, he kind of did. He felt.. ashamed. Why did his body freeze up like that?

Lee looked down sadly, feeling that he should have done more to protect Sakura. He more or less broke his promise to her, and that made him feel disheartened. One thing was certainly clear, though; if Sasuke couldn't even protect Sakura from the attackers, their enemies were more than just worthy adversaries. If they weren't careful, they themselves could die in vain.

----------------------------

Short. I know. I just thought it would be amusing to leave you hanging like this. 

SS = Likes to joke too much. 3


	14. Chapter Fourteen

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

[ ] - Inner Sakura

__

Italics - Emphasis

---------------------------------------

****

Author's Ranting #?: Hey all. This chapter has been revised! Finally! *Cheer. Beer. Ramen.* Thanks for your patience. The other few chapter's should be up within the next two days. So sit tight. ^_^

----------------------------------------

It was dark and damp when Sakura finally regained consciousness, her emerald green eyes dazed and drained. She had no idea what happened, where she was, or why her head was pounding like her forehead had been used as a drum.

"Ugh.." She groaned tiredly, attempting to rub the sleep from her eyes, but to no avail; her arms and legs were restrained. With a sharp gasp, she began tugging at the chains connected to the cuffs around her small wrists, but all she managed to do was cause herself more pain. Panic surged through her body as realization dawned on her-- she had been captured.

"Ow.." She heard a whine from the other side of the dark room, causing a shimmer of hope to emerge in her panic-filled eyes. "Is someone there?"

"Huh? S.. Sakura-chan?"

Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief. "Naruto?!" She called happily, glad that he was okay even if she couldn't really see him. "Are you alright? Where are we?"

"I don't know.." Naruto said tiredly, his stomach growling. "I'm so hungry.. did you happen to bring ramen?" He asked hopefully, a bit of his cheerful tone coming back. 

Sakura sighed in both relief and frustration. 'He'll never change..' [That stupid idiot! AGH!] "Naruto! You idiot! This is no time to be thinking about food!" She yelled, yanking at her chains as if to smack him. "We need to get out of here or we'll both die!"

Naruto went silent, wishing his stomach would do the same. He wanted nothing more than to protect Sakura, but how? After being trapped here for several days, he had pretty much depended on the hope that his friends would bale him out somehow. But by all means, the last thing he decided he was ever going to do was die in a place like this. "Sakura-chan."

"What is it?" She asked, noting the seriousness of his tone.

"I have an idea!"

---------------------------

"Well.. what do we do?" TenTen asked solemnly, twiddling her thumbs in her lap. Three hours had passed, Lee was obviously restless about the whole situation. Now Sasuke's entire team was taken from him. He had no one but them, so of course they had to help get them back somehow. Plus, Sakura-san was taken, and in his book, that was unforgivable.

"Let's go." Lee said determinedly, walking over to Sakura's pack and pulling out the map she left behind. He tossed it up and then caught it with a swift 'smack' against his bandaged palm, making his point clear. 

Neji, surprising everyone, rose from his seat on the ground. With a triumphant smirk, he turned to face Sasuke. "Your team is important to you." He assumed, crossing his arms cockily over his chest. "So what are you waiting for?"

Sasuke looked at Neji blankly, then looked away. Was he right? Was his team important to him? Was Sakura important to him? Maybe he was just sliding along the surface of his emotions, so that nothing ever really touched him. Even when girls confessed their feelings for him, it didn't touch him. In his heart there was a suspicion that he couldn't erase. The suspicion that he's always alone.*

But.. he wasn't alone when he was with them. His team. Even though both of them were annoying, loud, obnoxious, and often times a burden, they were still his team. And he wasn't going to let his comrades die. He wasn't going to be the one responsible for their names carved into the stone of heroes. 

He wasn't going to fail, no matter what the cost.

----------------------------

"That's completely and utterly ridiculous, Naruto! It'll never work, you idiot!" Sakura scolded, inwardly admitting that she missed fighting with him like this.

"But.." Naruto began, "If we can make it work, then we can get outta here!"

"Plotting already, hm?" A voice called from the shadows, causing Sakura to gasp and retreat back into the wall as if there were a hole for her to crawl in.

"Why.. why did you kidnap us!" 

"Why?" The voice questioned in return. "Why not, is the better question, my dear Sakura." 

"H-how do you know my name?!"

"Hey! You bastard! Stay AWAY from Sakura-chan!" Naruto hollered, yanking angrily at his restraints. "If you want someone, take me! But leave her out of it!"

Sakura blinked. "Naruto.."

"Oh.. mighty brave of you, Naruto." Taking a step forward, the voice continued. "I'm afraid bravado will get you no where, however."

"Errr! You listen here, moron! One day I'm going to become the number one ninja in the world! I--"

"Save your dreams for when you're asleep, Naruto." The voice muttered harshly, taking another step towards Sakura. "Now, my dear.. you obviously have no idea what you're capable of, do you?"

"H.. Huh?" Sakura's eyes filled with confusion and uncertainty. 

"As expected." She heard a deep sigh. "It's a shame that yours was so hard to find. As a result, you yourself have no idea what it is."

"What're you talking about?" 

"Your gift."

"My.. what?" 

Naruto's eyes widened and his lips parted. 'Sakura-chan's.. gift?' He thought, not understanding either. "Hey! Hey! What the hell are you talking about?!"

Sakura felt the heat of anger rising to her cheeks as the stranger's hand grasped her chin delicately, treating her as if she were some kind of prize. Though it was dark, she could make out the crease of his mouth and the desire in his dark blue eyes. "Would you like me to show you?" He asked, his breath brushing against her lips intentionally.

By now, Naruto was completely furious. "Get OFF of her! You bastard! I swear if you touch her anymore, I'll kill you!" Kicking, tugging, yanking, hell, he was even gnawing on the ropes which held his torso bound with his teeth.

"That`s enough, Mistukagi."

"What?" Mitsukagi released Sakura's chin and slowly turned around, his jaw tightening at the sight of his superior before him. "Kabuto-sama."

"Your job was to apprehend them, not tease them." Kabuto remarked sternly, giving his subordinate a look promising fierce punishment. "Anyway, we'll discuss this later. You're dismissed."

Without another word, Mitsukagi nodded and quickly headed for the exit, the stone door slowly sliding to a grinding close behind him.

"Kabuto-san?" Naruto questioned, hardly believing his long lost friend was even there. "What's going on? Why are you here?"

Kabuto tilted his head forward, a hefty chuckle escaping his lips at the confusion tangible within the tone of Naruto's voice. "Naruto-kun.. you really are clueless." He remarked snidely. "In any case.. you aren't my main concern at the moment."

Sakura was suddenly hit with a sinking feeling in her gut when Kabuto looked her way, his round-framed glasses reflecting a blinding gleam against her shadowed eyes. 'So.. he was never our friend. He was just a spy this whole time for Orochimaru. But why did he help us back in the Chuunin exams if this was to be our fate? And if Orochimaru wanted us, then why did he attack Sasuke-kun?' With so many unanswered questions buzzing around in her head, she didn't even notice that Naruto was no longer squirming in the far corner. She couldn't even hear the sound of his soft breathing echoing in the spacious quarters of the stone-walled room. "Naruto?"

"Don't worry.. Naruto's being taken care of." Kabuto murmured huskily, his hand coming up to adjust his glasses with his forefinger.

"W.. What do you want with us?" Sakura demanded, glaring into the depths of Kabuto's dark eyes. 

".. Your soul's."

-----------------------------------------

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

.. For waiting. Reviewing. Etc.

SS 3


	15. Chapter Fifteen

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

--------------------------

****

Author's Ranting #7: Here's some words to clear things up:

1.) Not all of the events pertaining to the Chuunin Exam and beyond are applied to this story. One example being Lee's fight with Gaara. Sorry, I just found that whole situation soap opera material.

2.) Hate to break it to you, but Naruto's not really that involved in this part of the plot. I have bigger plans for him later on. 

3.) … Is there a three? 

--------------------------

The steady rhythm of Naruto's heart beat reminded him that he was still alive through the vast, empty void of blackness he found himself swallowed in. Here, he could smell the faint aurora of.. flesh, and something else he couldn't quite decipher. The air was musky and had a metallic taste to it; like blood, when you accidentally bite down on your tongue.

Disregarding the need to be cautious, Naruto brought a hand up to his throbbing head and let out a muffled groan. "Damn.." He muttered coarsely as he regained his bearings. 'They must have gotten me from behind..' His eyes shifting around the pitch black room, he searched for a sign of anyone else in his presence. 

Though he was alert, he still felt a twinge of shame for his willingness to accept Kabuto as a friend in such dire circumstances. If they hadn't been careful, Kabuto could have taken advantage of all three of them during the Chuunin Exams. His anger boiled at this realization, and he clenched his jaw in an effort to sustain the rage calling in the back of his mind.

'Sakura-chan's in trouble.. that jerk Sasuke is probably long gone by now.' Naruto thought bitterly as he rose to his feet, his hands falling to his sides as a determined grin slipped across his lips. 'Alright! That means it's up to me to save us!'

-----------------------------------

"Our souls?" Sakura questioned skeptically, obviously finding the whole thing absurd. "What do you mean?"

"Just that." Kabuto responded vaguely as he approached her from across the room. "Naruto-kun and you are very valuable, just as Sasuke-kun is. However, yours has yet to be put to use." He paused and brought a hand up to roughly tug at the chains connected to the wall, testing them for their strength. "I think that'll do it."

Sakura blinked, her attention centered on the chains which held her bound to the stone wall. She didn't understand for the life of her why it was necessary to keep her so tightly bound and constrained, and she was certain she didn't want to find out. "You're going to torture me, aren't you?" She inquired, lowering her gaze to the shackles restraining her ankles.

"Torture?" Kabuto repeated, as if questioning her definition of the word. "I'm not sure that's the word for it, but I imagine it will be quite painful." He answered calmly in a soft tone, like it meant nothing at all that she was about to be put through an enormous amount of agony.

"W.." She began, but quickly stopped herself in mid-question. Why was she even about to ask such a silly thing? Especially when she already knew the answer, since she associated with two boys who wanted nothing more than to be the strongest in the world. Was that really so rewarding? "Tell me.. what you're going to do."

Kabuto cocked his head to the side at her silent plea. "I don't think that'll make you feel comforted." He said apathetically. "Besides, where's the fun in giving it away?"

"There is none." A voice called from the shadows, followed by the emerging of several men clad in black robes and holding worn, medium-sized multicolored scrolls. And Sakura gasped when she saw the fierce, narrowed eyes of none other than Orochimaru, staring straight at her with a boyish-like grin charming his structured face. "Ah.. Haruno Sakura." His smooth, silky voice caused a shiver to run down Sakura's spine. "It's about time you learned the truth about the power your clan, as well as Konoha Village, so selfishly locked away."

Her eyes widened in both shock and fear. "W-what?"

"You want to be strong, don't you, Sakura?" He gracefully took a step toward her, giving her a look of both admiration and hidden desire. "To protect your friends.. I understand this need, and I can help you attain that strength." Taking another step, slowly, purposely edging her on, he continued. "All you have to do is listen to what I say, and I can give you all that you desire." The distance now closed between the two of them, he brought a hand up to caress the side of her face. "Anything you want can be yours.."

Closing her eyes, Sakura inhaled shakily as Orochimaru's cold, calloused fingers outlined the contours of her jawbone, and the curve of her delicate chin. His touch was intoxicating to her senses, and an image of Sasuke came to her mind as his thumb brushed against the softness of her lips. He was doing something to her. She knew it, yet she had already fallen into his trap the moment she locked eyes with him.

And suddenly.. she was consumed by darkness.

---------------------------------

"How much further, Lee?" TenTen called a few yards behind the high-spirited boy, whom hadn't slowed his pace since they set out on their rescue mission hours ago, it seemed. "We've been going North for nearly two hours, we should be coming up on the port already!"

Lee was also aware of this, but he was baffled as to why they hadn't reached the ports by now. Could they be lost? "Don't worry! Just a little longer, I'm sure!" He hated lying to his teammates, but he didn't want to further Sasuke's frustration. The poor guy had already gone through so much disappointment already. 'I hope Sakura-chan and Naruto are okay..'

Sasuke remained silent and indifferent. He had nothing to say, nor any help to offer in aid to finding the desired ports so that they could reach the Gatsua Islands. For the moment, he considered himself dead weight as he contemplated the overall plan once they actually arrived at their destination.

There were a few things he had to work out before he could face his enemy in a full force battle.

----------------------------

.. Yeah.

SS


	16. Chapter Sixteen

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

------------------------------

****

Author's Ranting #8: Hey all. Again. This chapter might be a tinsy winsy bit confusing… maybe. I guess it's up to you to determine that.

Thanks for reading. Reviewing. ^_^ All that good stuff.

-------------------------------

Voices. They were faint, and barely reached her sensitive ears, but she could hear them. One was soft and gentle, whispering words of comfort and courage. The other was more dark and deep, with a wispy, hoarse tone which spoke harsh, unsettling remarks that made Sakura feel somewhat discouraged. Just where was she, anyway?

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, and she was met with an empty, endless void of blackness. There was no up or down, left or right. No walls, no light, no sign of other people. No sign of other life, for that matter. At some point she was wondering if perhaps there was even any air, as it felt like she was breathing purely from habit, not impulse.

'Where.. am I?' Sakura thought nervously as she examined her surroundings. Strangely, she felt like she was floating off somewhere. There was no ground beneath her and no sky or space above her, it seemed.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instinctively, her hand came up to her throat and she attempted to speak again, only to have the same result. After a few moments, she began screaming. Screaming as hard as she could, but no sound followed. There was nothing, nothing at all. That is, until she felt a sharp pain coursing through her veins, and everything began to spin in a daze of blues and whites.

Suddenly, she found herself back in reality, Orochimaru's smirking face the first and only thing she could really see. What had he done to her while she was off in that dream? This pain.. it was simply unbearable. 

"Ah.. I see you're finally awake." She could barely hear his soft words ringing through her ears. His face was starting to become slightly distorted as her vision began to blur. "W.. what did you.. do to me?" Sakura choked out, feeling her body go through a series of uncontrollable spasms, and she let out a loud cry. 'It.. hurts.. am I going to die?'

There was a cold sensation lingering in the back of her mind; like a drill, grinding it's way through her skull and entering her blood stream. She could feel it everywhere, all at once. What was it, this feeling? It was cold, yet hot, at the same time. Her blood boiled like liquid fire, and her skin felt like an old peach she had once found in the back of the fridge one day--when she had picked it up, the skin fell from the meat of the fruit and made quite a mess.

Sakura's breath was ragged and her heart beat ecstatically, not to mention her head was pounding. However, over what seemed like decades, her body had slowly become numb under the extreme amounts of pain racking her frail form. Perhaps her fortitude had returned just in the knick of time, or maybe she just couldn't feel anything. It was hard for her to tell, for certain.

"As expected, her body is taking a lot of time to adjust." Kabuto commented while examining Sakura's quivering body. "She won't be able to move for a while." He said thoughtfully, turning towards Orochimaru. "It'd be best if we removed her from her restraints and found her a proper bed to rest in until she has fully recuperated."

Orochimaru's eyes settled on the pink-headed girl once more. Though it was faint, he could feel it; that energy, brewing within her. His tongue outlined his slender lips hungrily--he couldn't wait to see her potential blossom into fierce rage, under the influence of his control. "Do as you see fit." He said calmly, a tuft of smoke clouding around his taught form. "Don't let me down, Kabuto."

His superior's voice resounded in his ears and he bowed his head respectfully in his master's departure. After he was gone, Kabuto straightened and walked over to the barely conscious girl bound to the stone wall. As he reached up to release her from the shackles, his nose picked up on the faint smell of blood, and it wasn't until he lifted Sakura into his arms that he found the reason why.

She had been biting her lip so hard, the life giving crimson liquid dripped down her pale chin and slender throat like a steady flowing river. Kabuto was startled by this, suddenly realizing that this girl's determination went past his expectations.

Even when balancing on the line between consciousness and unconsciousness, Sakura refused to scream.

------------------------------

"Damn.." Naruto muttered under his breath, falling back on his bottom in exhaustion. "These walls are too thick!" He complained, a hand coming up to rub his throbbing head. 

After hours of different methods, Naruto concluded that he was missing a very important detail concealed from the obvious. Perhaps he was trapped in a well thought out genjutsu, or maybe using his head--literally--was a mistake in itself. Either way, he was certain the stupid fox demon within him was laughing at his misfortune, as his embodied roommate wasn't responding to any of his commands.

'Okay, okay. Relax. Think. Think..' Naruto told himself, bringing his hands together in concentration. 'There's a way out of here..' He thought as he closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling slowly, deeply, as if lost in meditation. 

"Alright!" Naruto shouted, his eyes shooting open. "One more time!" He clamored as he rushed at the farthest wall, chakra collected at the soles of his feet to give him extra lift and acceleration. His last attempt proved successful and he pummeled through the stone wall like a charging titanium bull. Of course, Naruto focused so much chakra in his feet that he ended up going through several more walls, finally colliding with a body guard stationed outside a wooden door.

His head pounding like the steady rhythm of hard rain beating against the ceiling of his apartment, Naruto rose on unstable legs and he swayed from left to right like a ship caught in a storm. It was safe to say that he suddenly felt like hurling up whatever food he had in his empty, moaning stomach.

Shaking himself from his brief moment of collision withdrawal, Naruto focused his slightly blurred vision first on the unconscious guard on the floor, to the wooden door with the emblem of the Sound Village engraved in the center.

'Sakura-chan..' Naruto thought meekly as the faint aurora of cherry blossoms tickled his sense of smell. 'She must be in there!'

----------------------------------

"I see it!" TenTen exclaimed from her perch up in the canopy of the forest's tall tree's. "The port! It looks like we'll be there by dawn!"

Exciting news to the crew, but to Sasuke, it was nothing more than a head ache. He hadn't said much of anything the entire time, mainly because he felt mostly apathetic about the situation. Surely Naruto had already escaped with Sakura by now, so why was he being dragged into this? It wasn't his duty to save their asses every time they got in a mess, was it? Kakashi's lesson the first day was proving to have more affect on him than he previously thought, or rather, previously _hoped_.

"Sasuke-kun*?" Lee called from ahead. "Aren't you excited?" He asked almost too gently, earning him a silent 'leave me alone, I don't care' kind of glance from his stoic traveling companion. '.. I'll never figure that guy out.' Lee thought timidly as he turned his attention back to the pathway ahead.

"We should stop and rest." Neji suddenly said, his pace coming to a halt. Receiving a questioning look from Lee, he spoke once more. "Our enemies are most likely above our level. We'll need to be rested up for battle."

Lee nodded slowly, yet he still felt doubt settling in the pit of his stomach. Neji never carried out an action without thinking it through thoroughly first, so Lee felt he should trust their leader to a certain degree.

TenTen dropped down from a nearby tree in time to hear Neji's order, a sigh of relief escaping her throat. 'Good.. I'm beat.'

"I'm taking a walk." Sasuke mumbled after dropping his bag against the base of a large tree--mainly to assure his temporary traveling partners that he intended on returning, rather than to relieve himself of it's weight--and disappeared down a neighboring path without another word.

After a long haul with unwanted company, Sasuke needed time to himself.

----------------------------------

*I'm not sure, but I think Lee called him that once. If my memory serves me correctly, he called Sasuke that after Sakura's whole debut in the Chuunin Exam. Correct me if I'm wrong!

Anywho. I'm out.

SS 3


	17. Chapter Seventeen

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

-------------------------------

__

Italics - Dream/Illusion

-------------------------------

__

"Hey.." A soft voice beckoned, "Hey, wake up."

"Mn.." Sakura groaned, turning over onto her back and bringing a hand up to shield her eyes from the gleaming sun overhead. The outline of a shadowed figure stood above her, a hand extended courteously to help her up. She hesitated, looking up into a pair of the most beautiful set of blue eyes she had ever seen. "Who.. are you?"

The young man blinked his long, black lashes, staring at her intently. "I'm Saijou." He responded politely, his voice as smooth and soft as velvet, causing a shiver to run down Sakura's spine. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?" Saijou asked, a mixture of concern and speculation in his large blue eyes.

"Here?" Sakura questioned, taking his hand and allowing him to gently pull her to her feet. His hand lingered around hers until he was sure she was steady, causing her to blush and look down at her feet. She hadn't gotten a good look at his face yet, but from the way his long chestnut strands of hair framed the contours of his defined chin, she was certain he was absolutely gorgeous.

"What is your name, if I may ask?" Saijou inquired kindly, looming beside the pink-headed girl in a slightly protective manner.

"Sakura.. Haruno Sakura." She replied bashfully, quite aware of Saijou's close proximity. She fiddled with the edges of her dress nervously, too embarrassed to look him directly in the eye.

"Haruno Sakura." He repeated thoughtfully. "Beautiful name," he added sincerely, a charming smile outlining his lips. "What brings you here?"

Sakura blinked and shook her head in an effort to clear her senses. "I don't know where 'here' is. I think I'm lost." She responded somewhat solemnly, as if it were something to be ashamed of. "Can you tell me which way it is back to Leaf Village?" She asked hopefully, her gaze raised to meet his.

"Leaf Village?" Saijou raised a questioning brow at her. "I'm sorry, I've never heard of a such a place."

"What?" Sakura started, suddenly feeling a sense of dread and something else she couldn't quite place. Confusion? Fear? Perhaps even both. "What about the Mist Village? Wave Country?" 

Saijou shook his head at her, somewhat alarmed at the fear in her soft jade eyes. "I have never heard of any of those places."

'Okay..' Sakura inhaled deeply in attempt to calm herself down. 'There's got to be a logical answer to all of this. If he hasn't heard of them, maybe I somehow ended up in another country?' She inquired in her mind. 'No, no, that couldn't possibly happen. It'd help if I could recall what I was doing before I ended up here! What was I doing?'

"Sakura?"

"Saijou, can you tell me where we are?" Sakura somewhat demanded, rather than asked. He crooked his neck to look at her as if she had slapped him. "I'm sorry. I don't know why, but something tells me I need to get back there as soon as possible." She explained as nicely as she could given the circumstances. "Please, Saijou."

Saijou straightened, his face suddenly going blank as he turned his head away from her. "I'm afraid.. I can't let you leave, Sakura." He said, a hint of sadness and guilt entwined with his soft words.

"W.. What? Why?" Sakura asked, taking a step backward to make distance between them. "Why can't you let me leave?"

"I've waited so long for you to come. Why would I let you leave just as soon as you got here?" He was looking at her now, his charming face dark with desire and need. 

It was in that moment, that brief exchange of glances, that everything came back to her in a rush of visions. There was a look in Saijou's eyes that made her cringe--could Death's face really be so handsome? She wasn't sure she wanted to find out. "Orochimaru.. you're him, aren't you?" 

Saijou looked at her quietly a moment before tilting his head back in laughter, as if she had made a cruel joke. "Orochimaru? No, no, Sakura." A smile slipped across his perfect lips. "Although, I'm very grateful to him for weakening that damn barrier I was trapped behind. Now the only thing standing in my way is you."

A horrified expression spread like a forest fire across Sakura's feature's as she watched Saijou's eyes intensify with a burning rage she felt in the back of her mind. What the hell was happening to her? "I don't understand. Why me? I've never even met you before. I don't know who you are!" She clamored in her haste to find an explanation. She felt trapped in a windowless room full of smoke with no escape. "Tell me! Tell me who you are!"

He blinked at her slowly, as if everything he said were as harmless as a casual conversation on a mid-afternoon walk through the park. "I'm Saijou." He repeated, inclining his head to the side. "I feel your fear, Sakura. You have no need to fear me."

"No need?!" Anger was sometimes a beautiful thing, especially when used to cancel out fear and get the adrenalin pumping. And at the moment, it was the only advantage she had. "I have no idea where I am, who you are, or if my friends.. my friends! Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi! I don't know if they're safe or not!" She was on the brink of tears, but she bit her lip and held it in as best she could. "And.. you're telling me I have no reason to fear you?"

Saijou nodded, a smile charming his scrumptious face. "You and I are one and the same. The most I can do to rid you of my path is to take over your body. Without you, I would perish, or be significantly weaker. And vice versa." He explained casually, his voice as tangible as a caress to her ears. "So, there is no reason you should fear me."

Sakura remained silent, her head swarming with false assumptions and other things that caused exhaustion to her mental state of mind. "I must be dreaming.." She thought aloud, a laugh escaping her parted lips. Saijou moved to place a firm hand on either of her shoulders, steadying her before she fell. "I'm afraid it's not, Sakura."

With a breathy sigh, Sakura slumped against Saijou and inhaled his scent. She was tired, in pain, and on the verge of tears all at once. Her friend's were in danger, she was in danger, and she was at a loss of what to do. The best course of action she could think of at the moment was to sleep on it.

And she did.

--------------------------

Naruto carefully stepped over the unconscious guard to come face to face with the tall wooden door which separated him from his female teammate. Common sense told him to open the door and face whatever may be on the other side. Instinct told him he couldn't afford to screw this up with someone as dangerous as Orochimaru lurking around, especially if Sakura were being held hostage.

His fist clenched at his side as he tried to piece together a proper plan. What would be safe, cautious, but also effective? What course of action could he possibly take without the knowledge of what's behind door number one? For all he knew, it could just be a trap and Sakura wouldn't even be in there. He also couldn't afford to take that kind of risk if her life was on the line. So what should he do?

'Damn, damn.. I hate things like this.' He thought angrily. 'Why does it always have to be so complicated?' At the moment he wanted nothing more than to assure Sakura's safety. But if he should be wrong with his decision, he might get captured again, and if that happened, there was a chance he wouldn't be able to escape in time to help her. Either way, both options open to him had a down side that outweighed the up.

With a gulp and a shaky hand, Naruto slowly wrapped his fingers around the cold handle of the door. His hand lingered there for what felt like centuries before he inhaled deeply and twisted, pulling the door ajar and slipping in to face whatever horrors await him.

-------------------------------

Been a while. Nice to be back.

SS


	18. Chapter Eighteen

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

A/N: Wow, it's been a long time. I apologize for the long delay. Holidays, finals, and all sorts of other crap sort of slowed my progress down. Not to mention I had a serious case of writers block. Drove me nuts. Anywho, thanks for your patience. 

The moment Naruto stepped into the unknown room, he knew he wasn't alone. A feeling in the depths of his gut told him that something just wasn't right. Was he in the wrong to have ventured into the darkness of this room? If he hadn't any doubts before, he was relatively certain he had them now.

One step after another, he slowly closed in on the chakra billowing along his skin, making the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck raise. Whose room could he be in? The chakra was so familiar, yet different, and in a large supply. At some point he wondered if perhaps he wandered into Orochimaru's room, but the chakra wasn't near as evil or dark. In fact, it was somewhat relaxing to his fried nerves, in a strange sort of way.

"S.. Sakura-chan?" Naruto called sheepishly, squinting his eyes in the dark to try and make out the scenery of the room. His vision wasn't near as good in the dark as he'd like it to be, but from what he could tell, he was currently standing just short of a small table situated in the center of the room. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and leaned over to examine the various objects scattered neatly amongst the table.

To his satisfaction, the first object he recognized was a small flashlight standing upright on the far right corner. He reached over and grasped it, clicked it on, and illuminated the table with the soft glow of light. There were several different types of weapons, including three small kunai that appeared to be made of solid gold. Naruto didn't hesitate to start stuffing them into the pouch on his leg until he was startled by the sound of soft whimpering coming from the other side of the room.

Slowly, Naruto brought the light up from the ground and positioned it in the immediate direction of the sound. 'What... is that?' 

A snake statue the size of a dragon loomed over the base of a large canopied bed. The snake itself was made of gold—or maybe carved from wood and gold plated, but he couldn't really tell—the bed following the same intricate design, as if it were meant for a wealthy and powerful Lord. But despite the size, there was a small, huddled up shape snuggly bundled under the expensive comforter. Naruto wasn't sure, but he had a sudden brush with the hope that maybe he had discovered the whereabouts of his beloved Sakura-chan.

Hurrying over to the side of the bed, Naruto crawled up onto the enormous mattress. With each movement, he caused the mattress to dip under his weight, but it couldn't be helped—Shinobi don't get taught how to crawl along mattresses without being noticed. It was probably unheard of, and he wasn't about to ask Kakashi-sensei, either. 'Knowing that pervert, he might know how to.' Naruto thought with disgust. Once he was close enough, he reached over and hesitantly grasped the edge of the comforter. With a gulp and a mental push, he slowly pulled the covers down and away, the butt of the flashlight stuck in his mouth to hold it in place.

'What the..?'

"Hurry up!"

"That doesn't go there, pick somewhere else!"

"I've got the printouts! Where do they go?"

"This is certainly a busy place today." Kakashi commented dryly. "I take it the news has spread throughout the village?"

"Like a forest fire, I'm afraid." Iruka responded coyly, looking up at the Jounin. "It should have never happened like this."

Kakashi let out a gentle sigh. He was tired, everything that was meant to happen hadn't, and his team was off stranded in enemy territory with nothing but the items he had requested of them from the start. How did things go so wrong in such a short amount of time? "I believe in my team. I know their faults, weaknesses, and strengths." He said sternly, like consulting someone with a problem only they can fix. "It's true they're merely Genin now, but I have no doubt they'll return alive and stronger than they'd ever be if I were to simply nurture their talents day by day."

Iruka sat up abruptly and slammed his palms down on the table. "They're on an **A-**ranked** mission without any supervision or authorization! Not even Sasuke's extraordinary talents are going to help Naruto and Sakura against a Legendary Sennin officially marked as an **S-type** criminal!" He clamored angrily, his head bowed in an effort to ignore the Jounin's prying gaze. "They're all unique in their gifts, but they have limitations, Kakashi-san. Especially when it comes to a mission meant for ANBU officials, not three inexperienced Genin."**

The Jounin said nothing, for he knew it'd be pointless to argue with facts. In some ways, Iruka was correct to say that Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were not qualified enough to be in the position they were currently in. However, at the moment, it'd be pointless for them to send a rescue group out until they had enough information to base their whereabouts on. The Islands weren't huge, but they were large enough that it'd take some time to figure out the details of the situation. And with a rescue mission, everything depends on valid information, as well as time. Unfortunately, they were lacking in both categories. 

"You'd be killing them quicker if you give up now, Iruka." Kakashi said, and simply disappeared within a swirl of smoke, never giving the Chuunin the chance to respond.

Naruto gawked at the wooden Buddha laying next to him with an eerie smile the size of a Cheshire cat carved into its face. 'After all that, and it's a stupid statue?!' He thought dejectedly, still trying to get over the shock of it all. But before he could fully recover, he felt an unbelievably hard object slam down onto his head with such force he nearly fell over backwards. "Ne! What the hell was that!" He shouted, the flashlight resting in his lap while his arms locked over his head for protection.

"That'll teach you to come sneaking into a lady's b—Naruto?" The girl stammered, not quite believing it was even possible for the blonde boy to have been sitting there. Naruto peeked over his shoulder cautiously at the familiar voice. "S-Sakura-chan?" He questioned softly. Without the flashlight, he couldn't quite see her, but he was pretty damn sure it was her this time.

Sakura smiled smugly at her teammate. "Yeah." She said. "Are you okay? You shouldn't have snuck up on me like that, baka!"

Naruto grinned and turned around on the bed to face her, the flashlight already in his hand to where he could view her face clearly. "Gomen." He apologized, before his face took on a more serious expression. "Sakura-chan, are you alright? I heard you screaming earlier!"

"Huh?" She blinked heavily in the glow of the flashlight. "Screaming? I don't know what you're talking about." 

He looked at her somewhat skeptically. "You don't? But I heard you!" He protested in an effort to convince to himself that he wasn't going completely insane.

Sakura shook her head. "Baka, you must have been hearing things." She brought her hands to her hips and looked down at him cockily. "I've been in this room by myself the whole time." Her head tilted to the side. "Come to think of it, how'd you get in here past the guards?"

Naruto laughed a bit, a faint blush tainting his cheeks. "Uh... well." He began, obviously embarrassed. Sakura looked at him blankly. 'What's he blushing for?'

"Never mind that." He said. "Sakura-chan, where's Sasuke?"

"I..." Sakura looked off to the side. "I don't know. It's like my memory's been erased or something." Though it might have been the case, she was strangely not afraid at all. "Naruto, let's get out of here. Sasuke-kun might be waiting for us somewhere."

Naruto nodded slowly in agreement, but it didn't ease the questions he longed to have answers for. Where was Sasuke? Why was Sakura's memory failing her? And what does it take to get a bowl of delicious miso ramen? He had no clue.

.. Yeah. More to come.

SS


	19. Chapter Nineteen

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

With so much left unsaid, and so much left undone, Sakura felt lost.

Naruto heard her screaming. It wasn't a dream like she had first thought—or, rather, hoped. Lying wasn't one of her best traits, nor was it something she enjoyed doing, but she wasn't much in the mood for discussing it. Also, making her teammate worry about her anymore than he already was seemed wasteful. 'It was the only thing to do...' She told herself as she followed the blonde boy down a seemingly endless hallway. 'I have to just drop it for now, or I won't be able to help Naruto if we run into trouble.'

_"Sakura-chan, where's Sasuke?"_

'That's right... Sasuke-kun is gone.' Sakura clenched her fists. He was gone. They had been separated back at the Inn, and that was all she remembered. Whether Sasuke had gone for help, or simply left the two of them to die in this horrible place, she didn't know. Part of her hoped for the latter, simply because that would at least ensure his safety above all else. Another, more distant and hollow side of her hoped that maybe, just maybe, she'd see him again. When had that part of her become so buried within her being? 'I'm… I'm changing.'

"Naruto!" Sakura clamored desperately. Naruto immediately halted and turned to find the pink haired girl down on her knees with her arms tightly wrapped around herself, as if she'd fall apart without them. "Sakura-chan, what's wrong?"

"He..." She managed to say through clenched teeth. "He… did something!" Her fingernails dug into her skin, a sharp pain clouding her vision enough to bring tears to her eyes. 'What is it?! What did he do? Why? Why me? It's too much! I'm too scared!' So many thoughts raced through her head at once. Her anxiety attack, fueled by fear and adrenaline, brought the illusion of Saijou standing before her. Suddenly, she realized that perhaps she couldn't judge reality from a nightmare, or maybe Saijou was just as real as her and Naruto. She was too frightened of the answer, too frightened of the outcome. All she wanted was…

"Sakura-chan! _Run_!" It was Naruto's voice who spoke from Saijou's perfect mouth. "Yes, Sakura. Run like the coward you are."

'Coward?' Her eyes widened as she looked up at Saijou's looming form. 

"You coward." He said harshly, while maintaining a charming grin that always seemed to grace his features. "Stand up and fight for yourself."

'I can't... .'

"Yes, you can."

'No… I'm too weak.'

"Then get stronger."

'How?'

"Your friend's are in danger."

'….'

"Do something, Sakura." Saijou said. "Make yourself worthy of my equal." He extended his hand out to her in the same fashion he had earlier, a smirk replacing his grin. "You underestimate yourself far too much."

Sakura simply gazed up at him like a lost child. For the first time she realized that it wasn't because she had no talent that she was weak. It was because she had no faith in herself to win. Up until now, everything she had done was based on the hope that if she stood out, Sasuke would notice her. If only she could be strong like him and Naruto, then maybe she wouldn't be so weak. But she'd never get stronger thinking like that. If she wanted to be proud like the both of them, then she'd have to be _better_ than her teammates, not equal. Why had it taken so long for her to realize that?

"Sakura.." Naruto's voice echoed past Saijou's lips as the vision of him slowly began to blur into the blonde boy crouched above her. She blinked several times to ward the disoriented feeling away before she was able to sit up. "Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. "Are you okay now?"

"I think so." She responded quietly. The ground beneath her was a lot softer than she had previously been sitting on. Looking down in the dark, she ran her fingers along the dew-tipped grasses and knew that whatever had happened while she was disillusioned, Naruto had found a way outside. After a few moments of pondering, she raised her tired gaze and met the blonde boy's worried-filled eyes. "Where are we?"

Naruto grinned smugly. "When you screamed like that, guards came running after us. I picked you up and ran as fast as I could until I came to a door. I busted through it and bolted out into the forest until I couldn't hear them anymore." He explained. "Pretty good, huh? Not even a scratch." Sakura felt the urge to smile, but she knew now wasn't the time for celebrating. They were still trapped on an island notorious for booby traps and large, man-eating predators. 

Rising to her feet, Sakura started rummaging through a patch of vines nearby. Naruto blinked and watched her tug on various vines until they broke free from the lesser branches above. "Ne, Sakura-chan. What are you doing?"

"You'll see."

---------------------------------------

"Is that it?" TenTen whispered, peeking out from the foliage of the trees. "It's huge…" She commented. The landscape of the island supplied more secretive locations for shinobi to hide than most training facilities, but there are some things easier found than others. Looking out from their makeshift screen, the four Genin observed the large stone castle with concealed anticipation. 

The castle itself resembled the traditional Japanese style with an Aztec twist. Vines and roots of nearby trees were entwined around the solid, earthen rock, giving off the impression of age beyond the young shinobi's comprehension. "It looks like something out of story books." Lee said admiringly. "Do you really think this is where they are?"

'He's there alright.' Sasuke thought, his hand sub-consciously squeezing the junction at his shoulder. He frowned despite himself as he gazed at what could very well be a deciding factor in the completion of his ambition. "I'm going." He said, dropping from the safety of the foliage to land softly on the ground. As he began to walk away, however, Lee called out from above. "Sasuke-kun, you don't have to do this alo…"

"It's my battle." Sasuke interrupted. "Stay out of it." He commanded, never stopping to make his point. Up until this moment, everything he had done with the three Genin was an obligation to serve someone of one's own Village. However, the situation wasn't that simplistic anymore, and he was left with the responsibility of his team's safety. After all, it was his fault that Sakura had been taken. Why he felt the need to redeem such a failure, he wasn't sure, but it needed to be done.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he approached the murky depths of the pit in which the castle was built within. Observing the castle above and from a distance gave the illusion of it being above ground level, leaving Sasuke temporarily immobile. 'Genjutsu?' He questioned, observing the castle suspiciously. 'Damn. I can't use Sharingan without being sensed by Orochimaru. But I also can't completely trust the fact that if I take one step closer, I won't fall into a trap.' His jaw tightened in aggravation. 'What do I do? I can't afford any mistakes.'

Not a second later, Sasuke heard something rattling off to his right. 'What the? Did they hear me?' He thought suspiciously, his eyes searching the area as he turned around in a full circle. 'Nothing… did they end up following me after all?'

--------------------------------------

Sakura sat with her back to Naruto, her hands deftly tying vine after vine together in permanent knots. Each link added to the length, and before she knew it, she had a good sized rope circled around her arm.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto quirked a brow and pointed at the rope. "What's that for?"

"Give me your hand." She demanded, purposely ignoring his question. After a second of hesitation, Naruto extended his hand out to her. With skillful fingers, she quickly looped one end of the vine around his wrist and jerked it into a tight grip. She had already tied the other to her own wrist. "This is so we don't lose each other. I made it long enough to where if we're attacked, we can still move around enough to fight." She explained. "If the rope is broken during battle for any reason, then you're on your own." Raising her eyes to meet his alarmed blue ones, she said, "It's the only way to ensure that at least one of us has a chance of getting back alive."

Naruto frowned at the seriousness in her tone. "You're talkin' crazy, Sakura-chan! Did you bump your head or something?" He tugged on his end of the rope hard enough to bring Sakura to him. "There's no way I'm going to let that happen. We all go or no one goes at all!"

"_Enough_, Naruto!" Sakura shouted in his face. "Do you have any idea where we are? This isn't a game! Stop trying to play the hero and grow up! We're in serious danger!" She jerked the rope from his grip and turned away. "It's just me here with you, Naruto. Sasuke isn't coming to steal your 'moment'! So for once, be a man and accept the situation so we can get out of here, okay?"

A cold chill went down Naruto's spine. 'That's the first time she's said Sasuke's name without –kun.' He thought, his eyes centered on the pink-haired girl's back. "Sakura-chan…"

Sakura turned around at the sound of concern in Naruto's hushed voice. "Don't start acting all weird on me, Naruto." She snapped. "Let's go. We've got …" [_STOP!_] 'Saijou?' Sakura immediately turned around, her shoulders tense in alarm at the sound of Saijou's scream ringing through her mind. 'I feel it.' She thought, her eyes searching blindly in the dark for the cause of alarm. It didn't take long for Naruto to pick up on what his wayward teammate had felt.

"What the hell is that?" Naruto thought aloud, his heart suddenly beating faster with pent up excitement and a touch of fear. "I can't see a thing! Damnit!" He cursed and turned to Sakura. "Can you see it? Do you know what it is?"

"No." She answered breathily, her own heart pounding in her ears. [_Calm down, Sakura._] Saijou's voice echoed in the back of her mind. [_This is part of your problem._]He let out a sigh and rubbed at the crook in his neck in irritation. [_You're smart, right? Panicking in a situation such as this only aids your opponent in the deciding victor._] Sakura clenched her fists at her side and gritted her teeth. Despite Saijou's advice, she couldn't calm herself down. After all, she was up against enemies that far surpassed a mere Genin such as herself and Naruto. Even if they both had extraordinary talents, they were still out classed and totally out of their league. 

A swish sounded off to her right and her body reacted almost instantly falling to the ground. She rolled over as another sweep of the enormous blade came crashing down in the very spot she had just occupied a second before. She couldn't see the enemy, but for the first time, she could feel them. 

Meanwhile, Naruto was having troubles of his own. Ducking another fierce blow to the head, he lashed out, kunai in hand, and swiped at the arm of his attacker just as they were delivering a blow from over head. The kunai connected and drove into the enemies' flesh, blood spraying on Naruto's face. With his assailant temporarily stunned, he pushed off his feet and turned around to find Sakura rolling around on the ground, dodging each swipe of the blade threatening to chop her in half. 

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out, his blood boiling in anger. "You bastards! Leave her alone!" He shouted in rage and turned in time to block a fist from nailing him in the side with his own crashing down on the man's arm. Naruto brought his other fist right up into the man's jaw while the other snatched a kunai from his pouch. There was no time to use any jutsu, and for a brief moment, Naruto pondered the possibility that maybe it was planned that way from the start. 

[_Sakura, what are you doing?_] Sakura tumbled over and smacked into the trunk of a nearby tree, knocking the wind from her lungs. She lied still among the roots, her chest heaving with each forced breath. 'Saijou, I can't do this.' She thought and squeezed her eyes shut, painfully aware that the rope had been severed ages ago. The heavy steps of her attacker caused the ground beneath her to vibrate and quaver like the aftershocks of an earthquake. To her it was like death knocking against the door of life, and unfortunately for her, the door wasn't properly mounted on its hinges. [_Sakura, get up. If you don't, you're going to die._] Saijou was getting impatient with her. She could tell by the head ache she was suddenly starting to have, and it caused her lips to twitch into a small smile. 'I'm sorry, Saijou. I guess I can't be your equal.' She thought dejectedly. 'At least you'll be free now, right?'

Saijou didn't answer right away. In fact, for the longest time all Sakura could hear were the sounds of death slowly coming towards her and the beat of her own heart. After a few breathless moments, Saijou stirred to life and literally began to pound his words into her brain like nails in a wall. [_If you die, _**I**_ die, Sakura. I've been alive for longer than you ever will, and I don't plan on dying because some selfish brat can't get her act together!_] He was furious, and he wanted her to feel just how much. [_Get your ass up and fight or I'm going to do it _**for**_ you!_]

Wincing at the pounding in her head, Sakura suddenly realized that she couldn't hear the footsteps of her attacker. Slowly opening her eyes brought her face to face with a pair of blue sandals, and with a hesitant release of breath, she raised her gaze inch by inch up the familiar legs of none other than the one person she had been longing to see the entire time she had spent on the island.

"S… Sasuke-kun!"

---------------------------------------

Kind of long. Thanks for your patience.

SS


	20. Chapter Twenty

The Calling

By ShinobiSpirit

"S-Sasuke-kun…" Sakura choked out his name as if it were foreign to her lips. At times like these one usually speculates the sudden arrival of a teammate, but in this case, she didn't need to question. It was almost a feeling, a sense of knowing by just being in his presence that let any doubts of his reality fade away. It was him, and she was absolutely tongue-tied.

Sasuke on the other hand wasn't so much speechless as he was furious. For one, Naruto should have never left Sakura to fend for herself, knowing the way she was. For another, the bruises, scruffs, and mild scraps lingering on the pink-haired girls flesh triggered an overwhelming bout of anger welling inside of his gut. The fact that it was caused by her made him even angrier, and it reflected in his voice. "Get up, we're leaving."

"But… what about—" Sasuke cut her off abruptly by shooting her a sharp glare from over his shoulder. "Naruto is waiting. Now hurry up, we don't have any time to waste."

Sakura blinked heavily at the level of ferocity in her teammate's voice. What had she done to make him so angry? 'Maybe Naruto made him mad, and now he's taking it out on me?' As she pondered in her own world, she self consciously obeyed Sasuke's demands and stood. Without a word, she began to follow a few feet behind him with her head up in the clouds. 'I just don't get it.'

By the time they reached their destination the sun was already high in the sky, its intense rays blocked by the foliage of the island's tropical trees. Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji, TenTen, and Naruto were all scattered about along the shore, each in a specific location in case of an attack. Sakura would have been more than happy to see all their faces, were her back, feet, and sides not pounding with immense pain. It was bad enough that she really, really wanted to go home and soak in a bath for the rest of her life.

"You're late, Uchiha." Neji muttered as he approached them. He motioned towards the shore, where a small wooden boat was pulled up along the sand and tied to the trunk of a nearby tree. "Hurry up and get her in. After we've checked the premises one last time, we'll join you." Sakura bent her head to hide her embarrassment—she had been the one slowing them down, after all. And as Neji passed by her, he gave her a look that made her quite aware that he knew who was to blame, as well.

Tired and engrossed in meaningless thoughts, Sakura trudged over to the waiting boat and stepped in carefully. After she was in, Sasuke soon followed, taking a seat at the opposite end. She felt a frown tugging at her lips, but she refused to give him the satisfaction and simply cast her gaze out towards the ocean. Somehow it felt like an eternity since she last saw the ocean. Everything seemed like it was happening so fast now that they were almost home free, but there was also something very unsettling about it all. Why would Orochimaru just let Naruto and her escape, without any kind of retaliation at all? Did he do something to Naruto, too, or was it just her? And what exactly did he do to her? Who was Saijou? All of these unanswered questions buzzed around inside her head like butterflies in your stomach right before a test you didn't study for. 'No matter what happens, I have to make sure no one finds out about it.' She told herself as she watched the others climb into the boat one after the other. Her eyes centered more specifically on Naruto as he took the remaining seat beside her. 'Now isn't the time to ask him, but as soon as we get home, it'll be my first priority.'

---------------------------------

The journey home took a lot longer than expected. Minor delays included choppy waters during their trip across the ocean, troubles at the harbor concerning the condition of the boat once they returned it to the rental, lack of sleep and proper nourishment, running into the occasional thief or bandit. Despite such, throughout the whole ordeal, Orochimaru never once attacked, leaving the two teams drenched in immense speculation.

Sasuke lingered at the window of his spacious apartment. His eyes followed the contours of the buildings' roofs', to the clear moon-lit sky above, all the while thinking of his encounters in a restless stupor. Orochimaru, Sakura, Naruto, his brother—they all seemed to be on his mind at once—leaving him plagued with brief memory flashes of the past few days and beyond. He felt confused and dismayed for several reasons he would rather die than admit to openly. It was just a matter of time before it all became too much to bare, he guessed, but he was willing to take that risk.

Since their safe return home, Sasuke hadn't said a word to either one of his teammates. Naruto wasn't much of a surprise—he rarely engaged in conversation with the blonde anyway—but with Sakura there seemed to be a hidden reason he didn't quite understand. It almost felt _wrong_ to be around her, as if her very essence made his skin crawl. He wondered briefly if that was his own instinct warning him to stay away from the girl who would die to remain by his side. Either way, he avoided any contact with her as much as he could during the daily missions requested of them as a team. It didn't stop her from casting brief glances at him every chance she got, however, and he didn't have to see the sadness in them to know it was there.

Closing his eyes he turned and wandered aimlessly around various objects in his room until he came to his welcoming bed. Falling onto his back, he stared up at the ceiling with blank eyes and released an apathetic sigh past his parted lips. 'I can't keep running away from her.' He told himself as his eyelids suddenly began to feel weighted. 'I have questions only she may have the answers to.'

-------------------------------------------

"Sakura, it's time for you to get up!" Sakura's mother's commanding voice echoed past deaf ears as Sakura pulled her comforter up over her head to block out both the sound and the intense beams of light shining through the cracks of her blinds. "Just a few more minutes," She groaned into her pillow. Her mother called a final time before Sakura finally shot up from under her covers and forced herself out of bed. Wavering on unstable feet, she tripped over what was the remains of an alarm clock before successfully entering her bathroom.

Fifteen minutes passed and Sakura emerged clad in her traditional red dress, her hair neatly brushed and her breath fresh as she flung her door open and headed downstairs to greet her mother in the kitchen. "Good morning," she said nonchalantly, plopping down in a chair at the dining room table.

It was a typical spring morning in Konoha. Taking the first bite of her smoked salmon, Sakura savored the fresh taste of her mother's cooking and pondered on the events of the past week. Miraculously, the Hokage was able to keep the village in the dark in regard to their little escapade surrounding Orochimaru. As expected, when ANBU officials were sent in after their departure, he had already fled without leaving a trace behind. It bothered Sakura to a certain degree, but she let it slide. 'At least Saijou's gone.'

"Sakura, are you finished yet?"

"Uh… yes, mother." She answered with her gaze toward the window adjacent to the dining room table. Though it was a comforting thought, she knew that Saijou wasn't gone at all. He was there, lingering in her dreams when she slept, whispering incoherent nothings in her ear whenever the wind around her uncharacteristically brushed by her face. The only thing that had changed was he no longer directly addressed her in her thoughts. Briefly she wondered if she should have mentioned her illusions in the report the others and her were asked to fill out following their arrival home. At the very least mentioning something, anything about her encounter with Orochimaru, but a feeling told her it wasn't a wise decision. In some ways, Sakura was even willing to take it to her grave, though she doubted it was that serious.

"Have a nice day," Her mother said cheerfully. Sakura smiled and waved to her mother as she walked out the door and down the street to the bridge where Team Seven always met. These days it was rather quiet among the three of them. Sasuke wouldn't even look her way and always avoided her at any cost. Naruto wasn't himself, either, but he still had a tendency to shout whenever Sasuke managed to do something to piss him off. Sakura was like the background; she was just _there_, nothing more, nothing less. Kakashi himself had nothing to say in regard to their odd behavior, but the looks he often shot their way let them know that it wasn't going unnoticed by all means.

"Sakura-san!"

"Huh?" Sakura turned around to find Lee running towards her with a paper clenched in his wrapped fist. He stopped in front of her and bent over to catch his breath—apparently he had been running for quite a distance. "Sakura-san, I'm so glad I was able to catch up with you!" He exclaimed in between breaths. He extended the paper out to her with his head bowed. "This is for you."

Hesitantly, Sakura reached out and took the offending paper from Lee's grasp. Despite being somewhat wrinkled and torn, the letter was concealed in a fancy rice paper envelope, her name neatly written in calligraphy. "Uh... thank you, Lee-san. But, who's it from?"

Lee shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I found it in the forest—you know, near the area where I usually train with Neji and TenTen." He rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. "It looked important so I ran as fast as I could to your house, but your Mom said I had just missed you, so…" His words trailed off as a smile formed on his lips. "Work hard, Sakura-san! I have to be going now. Gai-sensei is probably already upset with me for not being there!" Lee took off before Sakura had the chance to reply, so she waved after him, a light chuckle rippling through her throat as she imagined the look on Gai's face when he found out Lee was off giving letters to girls instead of focusing on his training.

'Should I open it now?' Sakura examined the envelope curiously. If it weren't for her last name, she would have thought it was for someone else. She wandered off to the side of the street so as not to be in other people's way and began carefully peeling the envelope open. As soon as she broke the seal, however, she jolted forwards and bent over, the air knocked from her lungs like some invisible force had punched her in the stomach. Sakura felt her legs moving in a frenzy to get away from the street; should anyone see her like this, she'd have no explanation for it.

As soon as she was clear of the steadily growing crowds, Sakura collapsed against a nearby wall and panted heavily in search of air. "What… the hell?" She managed to say between gasps. [Relax, Sakura. It was just Genjutsu.] Saijou's voice echoed past the pounding of her heart, ringing in her ears. She gritted her teeth at the sound of his haunting words. 'Great, you're back.' She thought harshly and crushed the letter in her grip. [I was never gone. I just thought you might need a break.] Saijou flashed a smile that lingered in her vision just long enough for her to get the picture. [By the way, someone's here.]

Sakura abruptly moved from the wall, her gaze following the impulses coursing through her body to find a shadowed figure standing some odd feet away. The figure seemed laid back enough, with their hands in their pockets and their shoulders set at an angle in the perfect pose. "Who's there?"

Even in the poor lighting of the alley, she could plainly see the satisfied smirk gracing the figure's face. It made her entire body stiffen with underlying fear. "Answer me!" She shouted in frustration, anger flaring in her usually calm, jade green eyes. "I'm sick of all of these games! If you want to kill me then go ahead and get it over with, but I won't tolerate being toyed with _anymore_!"

"You're scared." A soft voice replied. "Of death, or of me?"

Sakura blinked, confusion lingering behind her eyes like a fog. "What kind of question is that?"

"A valid one," the figure shifted just enough to make Sakura jump, "you definitely aren't what I expected."

"What do you mean?" She asked skeptically. Despite the situation there was something strangely calming about the stranger that made her even more confused.

The figure shook its head and spread its arms out wide. "As you can see, I am not here to harm you. I have no weapons of any kind on me at this moment." With a heavy sigh, "Anyway, let's just get this over with before anything else happens." Slowly, the figure moved towards Sakura with its arms still spread far apart and fingers separated, insuring her that no jutsu would be usable, either. Sakura's eyes widened and she slowly stepped back as the figure came closer. 'What do I do? Scream? Run?'

"It's okay," the figures smooth voice reminded Sakura of Saijou's, "I only wish to show you who I am, and to get a better look at you." There was no danger lingering in the air, no sense of death surrounding the person before her. She usually had good judgment concerning such things, so with a silent prayer, Sakura held her place and allowed the figure to approach her.

As it got closer, she realized that the stranger was a boy—not looking much older than she—with fire-red hair and dazzling golden eyes. He was clad in all black, his arms and legs wrapped in the same manner Sasuke had once fashioned, but he wore no headband or any kind of indication of where he was from. 'He has to be from some other country, with hair and eyes like that.' She thought, mesmerized by the boys appearance above all else. He stopped a safe distance from her and bowed his head formally.

"My name is Obunai."


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**The Calling**

**Author's notes:** This chapter might confuse you a bit, but I don't think it'll be too terribly hard to understand. If it is, I'll gladly edit it.

--------------------------------------

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Sakura." Obunai smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. He could taste the fear running through the girl's veins, which only further excited him, and he tilted his head to the side like an inquiring youth. "You aren't what I pictured."

Sakura raised a brow and bit her lip. Every fiber in her being warned her of a danger she had never felt in her entire life—not even in Orochimaru's presence. It didn't take a genius to know that things were not looking up for her at the moment, and it took everything she had not to run. "What do you want?"

Obunai shifted his feet and began rubbing at his right wrist with his left hand. "To test you," he responded casually, "I need to make sure you're worth my while, you see." Releasing his wrist, he allowed his hands to fall freely by his sides and flashed a boyish grin. "Are you ready?"

A jolt ran through Sakura's body as she realized far too late that the second those words left Obunai's mouth, he was instantly in front of her with his fist planted in her gut. She gasped and staggered back from the force of the blow, one arm circling around her stomach and the other reaching into the pouch at her hip for a kunai. Clutching the weapon like a lifeline, she scanned the area for Obunai through hazy eyes—she could barely catch her breath.

"Is that all it's going to take, Miss Sakura?" Obunai whispered into Sakura's ear from behind. He brought his knee up and connected it with her spine, knocking her forward on her knees with a gasp. "Come on, surely you can defend yourself. I'm not even armed, and I've made no attempt to use any jutsu on you." Bringing his foot back, he jammed the toe of his shoe into Sakura's rib cage with a crushing blow that sent her flying into the air. When she connected with the ground, she came to a skidding halt about 5 feet away, lying stiffly on her stomach.

'I… what is _wrong_ with me?' She thought angrily, clutching the dirt beneath her broken form. 'Why am I just letting him beat me like this?' Locking her jaw, she slowly pushed herself up, biting back the pain in her chest and stomach as she stood on unstable legs. "Stop it.." She breathed, glaring at the ground. "Stop it! Stop it right now!"

Obunai paused long enough to get a good look at her from where he stood. It was obvious she was having a hard time filling her lungs with air. She was also caked in dirt, the beginnings of blood forming at the corner of her mouth. He had to give her credit for actually standing up again, but other than that, she was incredibly inexperienced in the art of fighting. "My, my.. you think enemies are just going to stop when you tell them to?" He cocked his head and glanced at her in irritation. "You aren't worth my time, if you're just going to stand there and cry."

Sakura clutched the forgotten kunai in her hand. 'I can't beat this guy,' she thought, 'especially in the shape I'm in. What do I do?' Her eyes centered on her target, but she made no move to retaliate. 'There's something wrong about all of this. I can feel it.' Sakura's eyes narrowed stubbornly. "Obunai, isn't it?" She forced a grim smile. "I don't know what's going on, why you're attacking me, or how you know me. I do know that if you don't stop, I'm going to die, and I'm not ready to bite the bullet just yet."

Blinking heavily, the red-haired boy shook his head in disbelief. Was this girl for real? He quickly covered his bewilderment with a grin. "Then I suggest you come up with a plan real quick, Miss Sakura."

"Don't say my name like you know me," she snapped. "I'm not going to lift a finger until you tell me why you're doing this." Her eyes darkened considerably and she forced herself to calm down. 'I can do this. I went to the academy, I passed Kakashi-sensei's test, and I'm member of Team 7 just as much as Naruto and Sasuke.' She reassured herself. 'I _can_ do this.'

A moment's hesitation left Obunai re-examining the girl before him. Just a few minutes ago, she was handicapped with her insecurities and overwhelming fear. Now it seemed like she was another person, but he could sense no other changes in her. "I'll do better than that," he said huskily, bowing his head to conceal his scheming eyes. "Here they come."

Confusion slapped Sakura hard in the face. She seemed to have the hardest time understanding men, and it was really starting to piss her off. 'What is he going on about?' She surveyed the area over and over in her skepticism—she learned right off the bat that Obunai wasn't one to be taken lightly—but came up empty every time. There were no sounds that she could hear of, which was odd in itself, and she certainly sensed no one else but Obunai. So what was going on?

------------------------------------------------

He could hear it. Smell it. Taste it. Sasuke raised his head to the sky in time to see them shoot past him from above, almost too fast for him to catch sight of them. It made his blood crawl to witness such urgency and not be apart of the action. He wanted so badly to be tested to the ultimate degree but until he surpassed his brother he would never know that kind of power.

Twiddling a kunai between his fingers, Sasuke gave it a quick once over before pocketing it in his pouch. It was almost time for him to join his teammates at the bridge, he reminded himself. But the more he tried to ignore his growing curiosity, the faster his feet moved in the opposite direction.

Then it hit him. His feet kicked off from the ground, body propelled in the air as the blurred form of Naruto came rocketing out from the bushes to his right. Sasuke twirled in the air and landed on his feet, a smirk on his face. "I don't have time for your games, blockhead."

Naruto skidded to a stop and turned to face his adversary. "You idiot, Sasuke! This isn't a game!" He barked out. "I hear Orochimaru's skulking around, and he's probably looking for _you_!"

Sasuke lowered his weapon and met Naruto's gaze. "If I'm not mistaken, you were his last target." He remarked dryly. "Where are Kakashi and Sakura?"

"What makes you think I know?"

A moment of silence passed before Sasuke shrugged and sheathed his weapon. He was right for once; asking Naruto anything was a stupid idea in itself. "I'm going to find them." He turned and started off in the direction Naruto had previously come from.

Naruto glared daggers into the black-haired boys back. 'Asshole, thinks he knows everything. Of all the people to run into, it had to be _that_ guy. Psh.'

-----------------------------------

Before Sakura even knew what hit her she was surrounded by the most hideous creatures she had ever seen in her life. Their approach was seething, tongues forked with long, clawed fingers and large almond shaped eyes that glowed an ominous red. What Sakura found even stranger was that the creatures bore the leaf headbands around their necks and shredded remains of Konoha uniforms.

"What's going on? What are you?" She asked. When she was given no response, she tried again, this time with a bit more gusto. "Please, tell me who and what you are!"

"Haruno Sakura," a voice echoed past the jaws of the creature nearest to her. It was deep and guttural, so much so that she had a hard time distinguishing certain vowels. "Lower your weapon immediately. We mean you no harm."

Her pulse quickened as her space seemed to be shrinking, the beasts closing in. "Stay away!" She shouted, clutching her weapon in both hands. For some reason she couldn't stop shaking. "I mean it, don't come any closer!"

Not heeding her warning, the beasts encircled her and prepared to leap. Sakura frantically held her weapon to her chest and closed her eyes tight, awaiting the inevitable.

A few seconds went by with no results, and when Sakura opened her eyes again, she found herself in a completely different place.

Trees were everywhere. Flowers vivid in warm, spring tones littered the landscape and swayed with the soft vibe of the breeze. The only thing Sakura found out of place was the sky—it was completely starch black.

_"Watch out!"_

_"What the hell is going on?"_

_"Hold on, damnit! Don't panic!"_

The sounds of distant voices assaulted Sakura's ears. They were everywhere, like she was in the middle of a sound barrier and being swallowed whole. Gradually they became so loud she found herself on her knees with her hands clamped tightly over her ears. What was going on? Where were they coming from? More importantly, _who_ were they coming from?

Suddenly the voices stopped and Sakura felt the ground falling out from under her. She let out a soundless scream. Her whole body tingled, ached, and stretched all at once. Nausea bubbled up in her throat and stayed there, even as she finally seemed to land on something solid.

It took a few minutes for her to realize that she was considerably soaked from head to toe, but she wasn't cold. In fact she felt oddly over-heated, like her skin was on fire and melting off her bones. If she hadn't thrown up before, she was definitely about to now.

".. kura!"

She could barely make out her name over the noise in her head.

"Sakura!"

Shaking her head a few times, she finally identified of the familiar decibels of her name being said, but she couldn't seem to open her eyes. Out of fear or out of inability to do so, she didn't know. "Who's there?" Sakura jumped at the surprisingly deep sound of her own voice.

Silence followed, and for a brief moment Sakura pondered the idea that perhaps she was caught in some kind of Genjutsu. It didn't take a genius to figure out who was the practitioner. 'Obunai… could he have?' Swallowing a lump in her throat, she attempted to open her eyes.

At first everything was just flashy and dark, like when you close your eyes for a long time and suddenly open them. When that began to fade, all she could make out was a blurred mess of colors—mainly red, she added in a bit of a fright.

And then it hit her.

-----------------------------------------

Sasuke stood frozen in place with his jaw set tightly in shock. He had witnessed something similar before, but never in this magnitude. It was as if an ocean of blood and suddenly appeared, and she was at the heart of it.

There were no words spoken. Mainly because he had no words to say, he was so completely horrified that hiding it now would be impossible. At some point, while standing amongst the countless bodies—and body parts—he wondered if perhaps he was simply dreaming the whole thing. This wasn't real.

Until she screamed, and the reality of it came crashing down upon all who witnessed it.

--------------------------------------------

Sakura couldn't stop the air from leaving her lungs. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she couldn't conceive any type of rational thought. Everything was a jumbled mess and she screamed until her throat hurt, and then it became something more of a primal sound that emphasized her current position and state.

Needless to say she was caked in so much blood that it looked like she had soaked in it like a relaxing bubble bath. There were foreign weapons in both her hands that she had never seen before, with jagged edges and contours specifically designed to cause a great deal of damage to flesh with just one swipe. Bodies were everywhere around her, but she avoided the dirty details by closing her eyes.

The smell of blood was overwhelming. Sakura didn't care to see anything anymore. She just wanted to wake up from this nightmare and find herself safely tucked away in her bed. She wanted to walk into her living room and be greeted by her loving mother and the delicious aroma of breakfast being prepared. She wanted to leave her home with a smile and hurry along to see Sasuke and Naruto waiting at the bridge, Kakashi late as always.

But that wasn't going to happen. With a sinking feeling in her gut, Sakura bit her lip and faced the facts. Whatever had happened today, happened without her knowledge, and was most likely the clever maneuvering of a certain red-haired boy she had met only moments before. And as her world faded into black, she had no other choice than to accept the fact that she had been fooled.

Obunai had won, and she was about to lose in more ways than one.

--------------------------------------------

Not too vulgar, was it? I might have to up the rating later. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Sorry for the long wait, it's an even longer story, so I'll spare you the details. Thanks for being patient.

SS


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**The Calling**

**By ShinobiSpirit**

It's funny how patterns can be deciphered in the most unbelievable circumstances. Kakashi, kneeling in front of a victim, examined the intricate waves of the torn flesh—it was like an artist had taken his time to make each cut precise, every curve a beautiful arch of crimson delight, using a human body as his canvas—and it disgusted him. Could Sakura be the one?

'That's easy,' he thought smugly as he stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. 'No, this is definitely not her doing.'

Unfortunately, however, there was no way to prove otherwise. No one had been allowed to see Sakura for the past three days. The Hokage remained silent and dormant, saying nothing of the situation and giving Kakashi no clues to his pupil's whereabouts.

"All I can tell you is that she is in the best hands I could manage," the Hokage had said when Kakashi approached him. "But I'm afraid no one is permitted to see her at this time."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Kakashi closed his eye and rolled his shoulders back.

"Kakashi-sama," a subordinate called.

"Mn?"

"I think we found something, sir."

-------------------------------------------------

The sun was setting by the time the Hokage returned to his quarters, exhausted and over-stressed. He had been to more court hearings in the past three days than he had in his entire career as Hokage, and he was downright tired. However, the moment he stepped foot inside the hall leading to his room, a shadowed figure stood at the end, leaning against the wall on his left.

"You look a little worse for weather this evening, old man." The figure said jokingly.

The Hokage grunted and said in a raspy voice, "Akimoto."

"Ah, come now, you know you can just call me Aki, Hokage-sama." He said gingerly, shifting his body from the wall and approaching the shorter man with his hands characteristically folded behind his back. "Plus, I've come to take a huge weight off your nimble shoulders."

"Lucky me," the older man coughed into his hands. He shifted and stepped past Akimoto, heading for a door to his right. "You mind if we discuss this in my office?" He asked sarcastically, already pushing the door open and disappearing inside. Aki followed him in and closed the door behind him, taking up post with his back against the hard wood. When the Hokage was comfortable in his chair behind the large wooden desk, Akimoto cleared his throat and began in a more serious tone.

"I'll be straight with you," he said, eyeing the older man behind a curtain of bangs. "I've come in regards to the events perspiring exactly 79 hours ago."

"I assumed as much." The Hokage said after a puff of his trusty pipe. "But if you're looking for a bounty, the suspect isn't up for g—.."

"Haruno Sakura didn't kill anyone." Akimoto interrupted. "Not that I need to tell you that, but I'd like you to reconsider your method of persuasion. If she stays at that 'camp' for too long it'll cause serious damage to her mental well-being."

Bowing his head, the Hokage's eyes studied the designs carved into the surface of his desk. "She's not conscious yet. By law, a trial cannot be held until she's present and aware of what's being said. There's still time, so why don't you tell me why you're really here, Akimoto."

He blinked at the older man's statement and a smile passed over his lips. "You know as well as I do who the culprit is, as if it wasn't made obvious by my presence alone. Old age often coincides with memory loss, but I didn't think it was possible to forget my backstabbing little brother." Aki said the word 'brother' like a bad taste in his mouth, but continued when the Hokage met his eyes. "Yes, that's right, Obunai isn't dead like we all thought."

"Impossible," the Hokage said in disbelief, his hands pressed flat on his desk. "Obunai's body was found five years ago in the Yakumi River and disposed of. I saw to it myself."

"After everything you've witnessed in regards to Orochimaru, I'm surprised you still use that word." Aki scoffed and tilted his head back to rest on the door. "I can feel his every move even now, but he's mastered the ability to mask his location from me. Let's just say he's more alive than you think, and he has a set purpose in mind that's not far from Orochimaru's own plans." He smirked boyishly and looked at the Hokage out of the corner of his eye. "You have quite a few powerful enemies, Hokage-sama."

"It seems to be becoming a trend." He remarked dryly and rubbed at the base of his temples. "But how does—.."

"Sakura have anything to do with the destruction of Konoha?" Aki finished for him. The smirk dropped from his face as he moved over to stand in front of the window adjacent to the Hokage's desk. "Not much of anything." He said apathetically. "It's more of what's inside that he's interested in using."

The older mans shoulders sagged just a bit. "I was afraid of that." He said openly, bringing his hands together in front of his face. "At first I wasn't entirely positive of why Sakura had been mixed up in Orochimaru's plans during the Gatsua Island incident. Now it's all starting to make sense."

Aki nodded and turned to look at the Hokage with a slightly sympathetic glint in his dark green eyes. "He tampered with the lock and now the cage is beginning to open. It's not completely out of character for him, since Sasuke isn't falling for his seal as he had previously planned, and Naruto obviously won't join his little posse. Sakura, however, is a lot more fragile, emotional, and an easier target. It's no surprise Obunai thought the same." He took a deep breath and exhaled. "The problem is, neither of them took into consideration the consequences of their actions, and now it's a threat to everyone."

"Obunai's plan wasn't to frame Sakura for murder, then." The Hokage said with realization evident in his tired eyes.

With another nod, Aki turned his back to the older man and crossed his arms against his chest. "He used them as bait to provoke the monster still trapped in its cell, like a kid sticking their hand inside a lion's cage. As to whether it worked or not is something we'll have to monitor, but for the time being I'd like to have access to Sakura as soon as possible."

Looking distraught, the older man stood from his chair and held his pipe in the palm of his hand as he spoke. "As much as I would love to know how you came across all of this information, Aki, I'll discard my suspicions for now. Not because of who you are, but because I care about the people of this village—including Sakura—despite what lies beneath the surface, which is why I'm now releasing her into your care."

Aki spun on his heels and bowed gratefully. "Thank y-.."

"Under one condition," the Hokage interrupted.

Emerald met solid blue in a wave of perplexed confusion. With a quick puff of his pipe, the Hokage cleared his throat and said, "She is never to set foot in this village until I am a hundred and ten percent positive she can control every aspect of what has been forced upon her."

Blinking, Aki straightened and sported an inquiring expression. "You mean, you're banning her from Konoha?" After a few seconds passed, his face contorted into a look of disbelief. "Wait a minute, releasing her into **my** care? What do you mean by _that_?"

A mischievous smile appeared on the Hokage's intelligent face. "Old age isn't contagious, Aki. Surely _you_ can figure it out."

-------------------------------------------

"Kakashi-sama," the subordinate said, motioning towards a specific body separated from the others. "Just above his ear, there's a marking we haven't been able to identify." He looked towards his superior thoughtfully. "We were hoping you could make some sense out of it."

With a slight nod, Kakashi kneeled beside the body and lightly brushed away the hair blocking the symbol carved into the skin. The first thing he found odd was how the symbol was just above the first two or three layers of the skin, which concealed it rather well without the drawing of blood. Second was the location of it; most of the time such trademarks are left out in the open in a more distinct way, signifying a man or woman who counts each kill as a trophy they leave behind. Third was the symbol itself. In all his years of traveling he had never seen anything like it before. What could it possibly mean?

"Any ideas, sir?" The younger man questioned after a few minutes.

Kakashi stood and brushed his hands off on his pants. "Get this mess cleaned up and have the bodies sent in for an autopsy."

"But, sir, we were told not to-.."

"There's nothing left to find at the crime scene," Kakashi said bluntly. "The only clues left to find are concealed in these bodies. Now do as I say." He ordered, and the subordinate hurriedly ran off to gather his crew.

Shaking his head, Kakashi fished out his favorite book and flipped open to his spot, one thought lingering in his mind before he completely tuned into the story…

'I never thought I'd see something like this so close to home.'

----------------------------------------------

SS


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

**The Calling**

**By ShinobiSpirit**

Chapter Twenty Three

The sound of water running, the feel of her bangs floating along the cool breeze, and the distant voices echoing in her ears caused Sakura's eyes to slowly flutter open to a starry night sky. She breathed in deep and exhaled a refreshing breath before inquiring on her whereabouts—and what felt so warm beside her? When she turned her head, however, she gasped and quickly sat up in alarm.

"Saijou," she whispered. His eyes were closed and his body was curled inward, as if someone had previously been encircled in his warmth. A blush found its way to her cheeks when she realized it had been her.

A few minutes went by, and Sakura found herself staring at the sleeping man in a new light. Saijou, though a figure that was constantly driving her nuts and most likely didn't exist anywhere outside of her mind, was quite handsome. There was absolutely nothing feminine about him; from the way his chin was set, to his long nose and refined jaw. Beneath the opening of his white shirt she could clearly see the muscles that made up his powerful neck, even in the dark, because his skin was so incredibly pale. At that moment she wondered if perhaps one day she'd be able to examine Sasuke in such a way. Would he be as beautiful or more so? She made a note to find out.

With a gentle sigh, Sakura stood up and brushed herself off. She made sure Saijou was still asleep before she descended down the hill they had been laying on, examining the peaceful landscape out of curiosity.

Even in the night, it seemed the environment was full of life. Bugs were wriggling about, animals sifting through the tall grasses and leaping over the small water-filled groves—no doubt a result of a recent rain storm. It was perfect. In fact, as Sakura slowed her pace to a stop just before a large oak tree, it seemed _too_ perfect.

"I'm here again." She realized aloud. "Why?"

Nothing came to mind. She couldn't think of a single reason why she would be in this place again. Did she fall asleep? Maybe she had gotten knocked out or drugged? She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. It was all in her imagination. This world wasn't real. She'd wake up soon and find herself safe in bed in the morning without any missing limbs or lacerations on her body.

Nothing happened to her.

She had to believe that, but why was it becoming harder and harder for her to remember what she had been doing last? It made no sense at all. "Maybe…"

"You didn't want to remember." Saijou whispered in her ear from behind.

Sakura jumped and spun around with a squeal. "Don't do that!" She yelled, clutching her hands to her chest. "Remember what?"

A smirk found its way on his lips. "If I told you that, you'd remember." He chuckled lightly and reached a hand out to ruffle her hair. "It's better if you just forget and come with me."

Sakura frowned and shoved his hand away. "Forget what? Why aren't you telling me?"

Saijou shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms behind his head. "Because it isn't important." He yawned and allowed his hands to fall to his sides. "Come on, it's late. Let's head back and get some shut eye, hm?"

She quirked an eyebrow at him skeptically. "I am not sleeping with you." She cleared her throat after a second and whispered, "Again."

Laughter erupted past Saijou's parted lips and he bent forward in an effort to contain his hysteria. "'Again,' she says! That's great!"

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura huffed and turned on her heels. She had never been so embarrassed in her life. Even if he wasn't real, she wasn't supposed to be the center of the jokes of a person _she_ herself made up. What kind of crap was that? 'I can't ever win. Jeeze.'

"You can quit laughing now!"

"Sorry." Saijou apologized between breaths. "That was just too funny. You act like I'm some kind of lecher."

Sakura's face went blank. "I have nothing to say to that."

"For once," he remarked sarcastically. Saijou straightened out his clothes and ran a hand through his wild dark hair. "Anyway, like I said, it's best we get going."

"To where?" She demanded. "Why can't we just stay here?"

He paused for a moment and considered how to explain the situation. Was there a way to tell her without actually triggering her memories? If he made a mistake and did so, he knew she'd go berserk. But how long could he keep her here before she was either forced to wake up or pieced it together herself?

".. jou."

"Saijou!"

"Hm?" He shook himself from his thoughts and glanced down at the pink haired girl in front of him. "What is it?"

Sakura turned her head to the side and crossed her arms over her chest, letting out a stubborn huff. "Let's go, I'm getting cold." She announced bitterly.

He smiled at her childishness. "Sure."

----------------------------------------------

Kakashi stood outside the Hokage's door, engrossed in his thoughts. The autopsy revealed absolutely nothing. He was running out of things to tell the boys concerning Sakura's whereabouts—luckily for him Sakura's parents were scouting the shores of Wave Country for specimens for a new antidote to a poison developed in their labs. They were something of geniuses themselves, but not too bright in the parenting field.

With a quick jerk of his head, his thoughts traveled back to the looks on Naruto's and Sasuke's faces when he told them Sakura wouldn't be joining them for a while. Of course, Sasuke already knew why. He was there the day it happened, and truth be told he hadn't really been the same since. Whether or not it had more to do with his past rather than the reality of Sakura being the culprit was still a question he had no exact answer for.

"Kakashi," the Hokage called.

Mind cleared, the gray-haired Jounin gingerly opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him. He approached the Hokage's desk and rested his one lazy eye on the most important man in the village, and perhaps the only one to have answers to his questions. "Hokage-sama," he said politely in acknowledgement.

"I know I've left you in the dark on a lot of this, but I didn't want to say anything until I had some definite decisions in place." He said softly. "I don't have time to go into any great details with you now, but I will tell you what's going to happen with Sakura."

Nodding, Kakashi braced himself for whatever the Hokage had to say about his teammate's fate. Would it be the death penalty after all? Did they find out something he didn't? He straightened his back and waited for the older man to speak.

"It appears that Obunai was responsible for the murders of the seven Chuunin, in an attempt to rouse Sakura's 'adopted feature.' As it stands, we don't know if the incident had the desired effect or not, because right now she is still unconscious. However, I cannot afford to take any chances at this point." The Hokage stood from his chair and moved to the window beside his desk. "Realize now that if I don't do this, the council will demand that Sakura be executed."

Kakashi held his tongue. He wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to know what was going to happen, how Sakura's life was about to change because of something completely out of her control.

The Hokage turned towards Kakashi, his eyes cold and void of emotion. "Therefore, Haruno Sakura is now hereby banned from Konoha until I consent otherwise."

"Banned?" Kakashi repeated, hardly believing what was happening.

"Don't worry," The Hokage turned and made his way back behind his desk. "She's been put in good hands."

"Whose?" He demanded.

With a small smile, the older man sat back in his chair and said, "You remember Akimoto?"

-------------------------------------------

Sasuke sat on the end of his bed with his arms folded in his lap. The day had been uneventful and he found that no matter how hard he trained, the image of his teammate wouldn't fade from his tormented mind. It was too haunting—too real—and he wanted nothing more than to forget.

Where was she right now? He wondered. The thought of her being tortured made his blood boil, but not for just the obvious reason; it made him even madder to realize he actually cared if she got hurt or not. Rebuilding his clan was an essential part of his ambition, but it wasn't in the cards at the moment. And to think, he considered her a candidate? It wasn't as if there were any other girls he favored more or less, but Haruno Sakura? That is, assuming she's not executed for her transgressions.

The thought of torture made him mad. But the thought of her death left him feeling indifferent.

Would he miss her? Would he wish he had done something? Could he watch? Words like 'miss' and 'care' sounded so alien to him that every time he thought of them, he suddenly wished he hadn't.

"I don't care." He said aloud.

_'I don't… Sakura.'_

----------------------------------------

Thanks for being patient and reviewing. I appreciate it greatly.

SS


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

**The Calling  
By ShinobiSpirit**

Chapter Twenty Four

_"Sakura has been banned from this village."_

The Hokage's words rang through Kakashi's ears like a distant dream. He had witnessed many accounts of such events—it certainly hadn't been the first time a ninja had been banned from the village—but somehow this particular incident hit way too close to home. And as he waited at the bridge for his remaining team to arrive, he was baffled as to how he would repeat the Hokage's final words on Sakura's fate.

A sad smile touched his lips at the thought of Naruto's reaction. He would undoubtedly be the most reactive of the two, but what of Sasuke? The boy had never shown much emotion towards Sakura, despite her persistence; could it be possible that for once, Kakashi would find a crack in his mask?

"Kakashi-sensei!"

'Here we go,' he thought mildly. Turning towards the approaching duo, he gave a slight wave and forced a small smile. "Good morning."

Sasuke stopped short of the bridge and stood beneath the pillars. He could feel something was up—especially considering Kakashi's apparent promptness. It made him want to turn right back around and leave.

Naruto stomped past Sasuke and faced the taller man directly, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "You're on time," he pointed out in mild disbelief. "Where's Sakura-chan?"

"You don't miss a thing, do you?" Kakashi said nonchalantly, ruffling the blonde boy's hair. Naruto shoved his hand away and glared directly into his eye.

"Where is she, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi sighed inwardly and brought his hand up to his forehead. There was no good way to break this kind of news and not have it fall apart in a million pieces. He'd have to give it to them straight. They were ninja's, he reminded himself. No matter how much they avoided things in the past, eventually they'd have to face the harsh reality of what it truly meant to be a great ninja.

"Sakura didn't kill them," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But, there wasn't enough proof to satisfy the council, and as a result they demanded her execution."

"What?" Naruto's jaw dropped. "What the hell? There's no way! There's no way you can let them do that!" He shouted, his eyes burning with anger. "How…"

"I'm not finished," Kakashi interrupted. He shifted his attention from Naruto to Sasuke, who remained still and seemingly apathetic about it all. "The Hokage was able to reason with them. Sakura will live, but under one condition."

Relief washed over Naruto and he relaxed his position a little. "What condition?"

"She…" he began hesitantly, having a difficult time putting the words together in his mind. "She may no longer be apart of this village."

Naruto's arms fell to his sides and his mouth twisted into a frown. He felt like his heart had just fallen into his stomach. 'Sakura-chan…' So that was it? She was gone, just like that? It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to have someone that important in his life taken away because of something she didn't even do. "What… what's the point in being strong if I can't even save one person?" He asked no one in particular. Tears burned in his eyes and he turned from his teacher to where Sasuke stood silently—his face blank and unchanging—which only further infuriated Naruto.

Kakashi reached out and grasped Naruto by the shoulder before he could do anything he'd regret later. "Strength has nothing to do with it. There was nothing any of us could do to help her." He paused long enough to make sure he understood the truth behind his words. "The only thing you can do now is believe in her. After all, she'll be in very good hands wherever she goes."

"That isn't good enough!" He clamored and yanked away from Kakashi's grip. Naruto found it hard to breathe let alone say everything he had to say at that moment. It was like they were all stuck in some intolerable ring of unfortunate events that never ceased. One thing after another kept happening and, once again, the realization of his limited powers added to the collection of wounds on his failing pride.

Silently, Naruto turned his back to Kakashi and took off past Sasuke without so much as a glance. It was out of character, but something had to be done, and the blond boy had enough sense to know that arguing with his sensei was pointless. So he'd go directly to the source—The Hokage himself.

Kakashi sighed and ran a gloved hand through his hair. "He's going to get it now."

'It's your fault,' Sasuke thought to himself and closed his eyes. He had no reason to discuss anything further with Kakashi. Unlike Naruto, he knew that if Kakashi had no effect on the outcome of Sakura's fate, there was little chance he or anyone else could, either. Regretfully, he turned a cold shoulder and followed the path to his home.

"Powerless…" echoed inside his head.

All he could do was smile.

---------------------------------------------

Akimoto stretched his arms above his head and resettled back in his chair. It hadn't been 24 hours since his "assignment" had entered his life and he was already regretting his actions. Tired eyes fell upon the girl lying on _his_ bed. 'She has no appeal at all.' He thought with a sigh. 'Damn that stupid old man.'

Shaking his perversion aside, he crossed his arms and began to think more seriously. He was concerned that perhaps she had locked herself up inside and refused to come out, thanks to his brothers' meddling. At the same time, however, he doubted that was the effect Obunai had been aiming for. It was highly unlikely that he had made a mistake; his brother didn't make mistakes.

Aki inhaled and shifted again. There was so much that could go wrong with this whole arrangement. He was a loner by nature, as well, and having a girl tag along for the next few years wasn't in his plans—especially one with a 'condition' as unique as hers.

_"You'll never see, Akimoto."_

He stirred at the familiar tone of his brother.

_"You'll never see."_

"God damn it," he muttered breathlessly and stood abruptly, knocking the chair over in the process. It landed on the wooden floor with a loud crack that caused Sakura to stir. He glared at her obscenely as if Obunai were in her place, his hands clenched tightly by his sides in an effort to control himself.

A few deep breaths later, Aki calmed and retrieved his chair. Sitting back down, he scooted closer to Sakura's side and felt her forehead with the back of his hand.

'She's burning up.' He pulled the covers down a bit and rested his hands in his lap. 'It looks like she's trying to escape.'

His meaning hardly went without saying. Aki was well aware of what was happening to Sakura. He knew what she was going through and he knew just how sly inner beasts could be. Twisting, bending, molding you into anything they wanted. They were you, you were them, but they had the upper hand for more than the obvious reasons.

As ninjas, emotions are considered weapons in the eyes of both the enemy and themselves. Without them, however, you're nothing but a shell and easily invaded by other more devious demons. Too much makes you open for mistakes that are often fatal or add insult to injury. There's no such thing as a median between those two extremes, Aki knew, but he had his doubts when he first heard of Sakura's case. Now he was more sure than ever.

'First Orochimaru, then my brother, and now she's in my hands. It all fits. Sakura must have that balance. But how? Could it be a hidden bloodline limit?' The more Akimoto thought about it, the more he began to wonder if perhaps the Hokage knew all along, but never spoke of it.

A frown found its way across his face. Sakura had spent all of her life wondering why she couldn't get stronger, no matter how hard she trained. The Hokage had spoken briefly of her assumed mindset, her attraction to Uchiha Sasuke, and her knowledge of chakra. There had even been a summary of everything known about her parents and her origin that resided in the confines of his desk drawer in the next room, but he didn't need it to know her family was traditional with no specialties other than in fields of science and medicine. Aki imagined Sakura must have questioned her role in Team 7 quite a bit; did the Hokage really plan not to tell her why? It made absolutely no sense to him.

Then again, after everything he had seen, facts seemed farther from the truth every day.

--------------------------------------------

Saijou opened his eyes to the warmth of the suns' rays leaking in through the trees. At his side, Sakura lay curled on her side with her back facing him. He knew she was awake, but when he greeted her, she remained silent and unmoving under his watchful gaze.

His eyebrow raised in suspicion. "Sakura, are you alright?"

"Why am I still here?" She asked quietly, weakly. Saijou propped himself up on an elbow and turned to face her back.

"Because you want to be," he said, "why question it now?"

Sakura sighed and tried to curl up tighter into herself. He had a good point—why would she want to leave such a peaceful place? Sasuke and Naruto were more than capable of handling things on their own. She only held them back. It was best if she just stayed here and allowed them to grow to their full potential.

_'Is it?'_ The logical part of her mind barked back at her. She frowned and attempted to bury her face further. 'It is. It has to be. Why else would this place exist?'

"Sakura?" Saijou inquired, interrupting her thoughts. "You never answered me. Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she replied hesitantly. "I'm just feeling a bit… drained right now."

At her choice of words a twinkle of something darker appeared in Saijou's eyes. "Then you should rest. I'll go get something to eat for us." He said and stood up quickly, exiting before she got a chance to thank him.

After he was gone, Sakura sat up and observed herself for a moment. Just about everything on her was covered in some form of dirt—which could more or less be blamed on the fact that she had been lying on it all night, but she ignored that thought and stood up to stretch her legs out.

She didn't know why, but every time Saijou left her side she felt a lot better; even stronger, somehow. Whether or not it was because he was so infinitely bigger than her that in his presence she felt small and inferior, or because of another, more deeper issue, she didn't know. The thought was dropped completely when she found herself at what appeared to be the end of the forest and the beginning of… nothing?

Sakura blinked at the darkness inches from her face. There wasn't any other word for it; darkness and nothing more, like a painting that was never finished. Was there a limit to the existence of this world, or was she still dreaming? 'Only one way to find out…'

As she took those last steps forward, she could just barely hear the sound of Saijou's voice cutting through the void she had willingly tumbled into. Suddenly she didn't know what was up or down, left or right. Her eyes felt heavy and fear ruptured through her body as she continued to fall.

At that moment, Sakura was positive that her life was over, even as her eyes began to close and everything abruptly stopped. The air felt like it had been knocked from her lungs, but it rushed right back when she took a hesitant breath. She felt something soft under head and a warmth foreign to the world she had previously inhabited. Slowly, her eyes opened and all she could do for the longest time was stare at the unfamiliar ceiling.

A noise caught her attention and Sakura turned her head to get a better look. Green clashed with Emerald and she let out a gasp of surprise. Yet another young, relatively attractive man was sitting beside her bed, looking at her like she had just grown another set of heads.

Akimoto's expression softened after a brief lapse of shock and he bowed his head respectfully. "I apologize for frightening you. My name is Hisashi Akimoto, but you can just call me Aki, if you want."

Sakura felt something wet on her cheeks before she realized they were tears. She sat up and allowed them to fall freely, staring at Akimoto all the while as if shame was no longer any of her concern. "Is this…"

"Yes," he answered before she finished. "You're finally awake. I was beginning to wonder if you ever would." Aki admitted, a smile on his face. He got up and retrieved a box of tissue on a nearby table. She took one and wiped her tears away quickly before she faced him again.

"Aki," she started, "what happened to me?"

He blinked at how desperate her voice sounded to his ears. For a moment he wondered whether or not he should tell her the truth. However, he decided she had been lied to enough; you can only leave someone in the dark for so long.

"You were framed. Those men they assumed you killed were not slain by your hands and you have no reason to suspect otherwise." Aki said in a tone that made Sakura listen more closely than she probably would had. "It wasn't your fault." He added after considering thoughts that might pop up in her head.

Sakura didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Brief pictures flashed before her eyes, but they were all blurred and red she couldn't make out a single thing. Instead of letting Akimoto know her lack of knowledge on the situation she simply nodded obediently and kept her mouth shut.

"Good," Aki said with a sigh. He was just glad she wasn't flipping out. It made telling her the rest a lot easier. "As for why you're here, I'm afraid, well, you've been banned from Konoha until further notice."

Now, Sakura had heard some pretty absurd things in her life, but what Aki had just said took the cake and the oven too. "What?" She demanded. "How.. why… what are you talking about?"

He winced at the look on her face and tried his best to elaborate. "The fact of the matter is, Sakura, you're lucky to be alive. It was either you be banned or you be executed. As of now, I'd be counting my blessings if I were you." He took a deep breath and met her gaze with a reassuring smile. "You don't have to worry. I'm responsible for you now, and I won't let anything happen to you." With his hand extended. "I promise."

Sakura briefly recalled Saijou's similar gesture but she decided that it didn't matter. Suddenly nothing much did matter to her. Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi, her friends, her family, they were all gone. She clutched the blanket to her chest and forced herself not to cry—not in front of him, anyway.

Hesitantly, she placed her free hand in his. Aki's smile widened and he closed his fingers around hers and gave her hand a firm friendly shake. "Don't give up yet," he said after a moment of observing her inner battle.

"The adventure's just starting, after all."

---------------------------------------------

Thanks for being patient.

_SS_


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

**A/N:** Sorry for the absence. I just got back into the country recently. Updates will be more frequent from now on.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.

**Chapter Twenty Five**

Many trials faced Aki's new, unimproved and hopelessly lost pupil. Regretfully, he admitted to himself that he had never had a student before. Mostly because he was only nineteen years old and hardly qualified (in his mind) to be able to mentor anyone, much less a broken doll with candy colored hair and jade green eyes. However, he owed it to the Hokage and to himself to at least give it a shot.

"Easier said than done," he thought aloud.

For all intents and purposes, Aki had Sakura bound and locked away in a cellar he borrowed from a comrade he knew only by Gin. He trusted the old man, but not enough to discuss with him why he had a 12 year old girl tied up in a murky old wine cellar.

"This is just a test." Aki had told him. "I want to see if she can escape without my aide."

Which was partially true—he _did _want to experiment and see how far Kakashi had come with the girl. Truthfully, his main objective in all of this was to see a 'reaction.' He only wished the Hokage had given him a better idea of what exactly he was looking for.

"Looks like 'dat girl 'taint doin' so well." Gin observed from his chair beside Aki.

Sakura was restless; he could feel the tension in her body through the thick mirrored wall that separated them. Maybe he was going over board?

"I'd a thought yo' Momma woulda taught'cha how ta' treat a lady a lil' better 'dan t'at."

"That's her problem," Aki said after a moment of digesting Gin's poor English. "Everyone's been treating her like a 'girl' instead of a person—or a ninja."

Gin nodded thoughtfully, "I suppose yous know what's best fer 'er. I won't say an'ther word."

Truth to his word, Gin did stay silent for the rest of the night. Aki later realized, after tearing his gaze away from Sakura, that the old man had dosed off some time ago. He stifled a laugh and turned his attentions back to the girl lying lifelessly on the floor. It bothered him to see anyone he considered his ally acting in such a manner. He couldn't even recall the last time he had seen her move.

A sigh escaped his lips and he propped his chin up on his elbow. He understood why she would feel depressed, being taken from her home and all. What he _didn't_ understand was why it made her react the exact opposite he would expect any ninja to, and that was to find another way.

"There's always a way," he muttered to no one in particular. "You're said to be one of the brightest in Konoha, but you can't even seem to figure that out."

Suddenly, he felt depressed.

* * *

Terror reaped havoc on Sakura's self resolve and she did nothing but curl into herself and weep like a child. Two days of self-loathing later, she woke to find that once again she was bound and swallowed by darkness.

Tears came and went until she had none left. It was so like her, she reminded herself, to be crying instead of acting. It couldn't be helped. Her spirit had been cracked for some time, but now it was beginning to break.

_She _was beginning to break.

Names, dates, times, places, things—they all reminded her of a home she was no longer allowed to exist in. Aki had been completely straight forward with her from the start. He had even seemed to know something about her 'condition,' but it was a subtle understanding that she wasn't going to make any assumptions about until she had solid proof. What's more, she wasn't going to offer him any information, either. For all she knew he had just been the first to find her and was actually working side by side with Orochimaru.

'Shut up,' she thought. 'You're being stupid.'

'So are you.'

Sakura froze. 'Saijou?'

Saijou's image wavered in her mind until it conformed to his shape. As usual, he had a smirk on his face. 'In the flesh,' he responded cockily. 'Or should I say, "In the mind"?'

She shivered at the sensations his voice created in her body—like playing a piano, with each press of the keys a different vibration reverberated through the wires and created unique sounds of music. 'Why does it sound like you're so close?'

'Because I am,' he said.

'Great,' she thought, and took a deep breath. 'This whole situation is just laughable. I'm banned from Konoha, I have a new "sensei" that has decided to ditch me, my hands and legs are bound and now _you're_ back. Oh, lest we forget, I have no idea where I am. Anything else you'd care to add to this?'

'As enthralled as I am with your sarcasm,' Saijou started rather sharply, 'I came to offer you a chance at freedom.'

'Oh, that sounds great.' Sakura snickered to herself. 'I'm weak not stupid.'

'You don't have to be either.'

She looked skeptical. 'What do you mean?'

Saijou smiled. 'You want to see them again, don't you?'

Sakura clenched her jaw tightly. 'Don't play with me, Saijou. I'm not going to buy it.'

'They aren't coming for you—you know that better than I do. Not because they _can't_, but **won't**, come save you from this hell. So where does that leave you?'

'Shut up!'

'I can help you, Sakura.'

'You're lying!'

'All you have to do is let me in and everything will disappear; your pain, your fears, your regrets, all of it. Isn't that what you want? A chance at _real_ happiness is right here in front of you, Sakura. No one will judge you or leave you behind.'

'Be quiet!'

'You can go to a place where you'll be acknowledged for who you are, instead of how strong you can be. That's what true friendship is, isn't it?'

Sakura felt at a loss for words. Partly because nearly everything Saijou had said was true and also because she wasn't completely sure she'd be able to refuse him. He was already so close. It felt as if his body was wrapped around hers, and, regrettably, she admitted that it was actually kind of nice.

The smile on Saijou's face thinned into a serious line and he extended his hand out to her. No words were needed—Sakura understood his actions better than he would have guessed. Briefly, she reflected on the consequences that would surely result should she take this path, but what other choices did she have?

In the darkness, lying on the hard dirt ground, Haruno Sakura forced a small smile as the last of her external tears fell from the curtain of her messy pink locks.

In her mind, she reached out and rested her hand into Saijou's upturned palm. His smile returned, he interlaced their fingers and gently pulled her closer to him. Leaning over her, he pressed his forehead against hers and looked directly into her empty eyes.

"Everything's going to be alright now, Sakura."

Sakura bit her lip; she could actually _feel_ Saijou's body melting into her own. It hurt so much, but the comfort brought by his gentle touch seemed to make the transition a little more bearable, even as her own screams echoed in her ears.

_"It'll all be over soon…"_

And then suddenly, it was.

* * *

Naruto jolted out of bed to the sound of his heart rapidly thundering in his chest. His limbs were tangled in his sheets and he struggled for several breathless moments to break free. Cold sweat trickled along the curve of his jaw, but he ignored it. When he glanced at the clock beside his bed, he sighed—it was 3 AM.

For a while, he just laid there and stared at the ceiling. His thoughts and dreams were constantly plagued with images of a certain pink haired girl that he hadn't even the strength to say the name of, much less think of it.

_"I'm sorry, Naruto."_

That was all Kakashi had said about it. "Sorry," as if it were no big deal. Naruto fisted his sheets and forced himself to calm down. He couldn't afford to have another episode; he was already forbidden to see the Hokage because he had nearly destroyed the old man's office trying to get some sense out of the whole situation.

_"You only want to hear what _you_ want to hear, Naruto." The Hokage said. "When you're ready to listen like a mature adult, I'll tell you everything I know."_

"That isn't good enough," Naruto said aloud through clenched teeth. "Why the hell is this happening?"

"You've already asked that." Sasuke said. He was standing on the ceiling with his arms crossed, looking at the blonde boy who was now face planted in the floor. "Idiot, what if I was an enemy? You were looking right at me and didn't even see me."

"Shut up! I was thinking!" Naruto clamored after he regained his footing. "What the hell are you doing here anyway!"

Sasuke managed a smirk and released himself from the ceiling to fall gracefully on his feet in front of Naruto. Sliding his hands into his pockets, "I should be asking you the same."

"Stop talking in riddles, damnit! What do you want?" He demanded.

"Answers," Sasuke said simply, his smirk gone. "Just like you."

Naruto blinked at the regret he found when he looked into his rival's dark eyes. For once, he caught on to what Sasuke had been referring to and a smile replaced the blonde boy's dumbfounded expression.

"Let's go."

* * *

Aki had stood watch over Sakura for nearly 78 hours, looking for some kind of indication of what it was he was up against. Now that it was here, however, he admitted that it wasn't anything like he had expected.

"Gin, get the hell out of here!" Aki shouted and shoved the older man towards the stairs leading out of the basement. "I'll take care of this."

As soon as his friend was safe, Aki immediately returned to the room and flipped the light switch to the cellar on. What he saw, then, both intrigued and horrified him.

Sakura's body was twisting and thrashing about like she had rubber for bones. After careful observation, he realized that she appeared to be stretching, growing larger to accommodate what resided within her.

Right then, Aki knew she wasn't ready, and if he allowed it to finish she would surely die. But what was he going to do?

_"Remember: No matter what, Sakura's _still_ Sakura."_

Aki sighed and brought his hands together in preparation for a jutsu.

"You better be right, old man."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry if this is getting too weird. I guess this story would be better if drawn instead of written. --

_--SS_


End file.
